To Steal, Kill And Destroy
by Angel-Belle
Summary: An evil presence has come to Domino City. One whose only purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. Sequel to LWTH. But you can read this story on its own.
1. Evil's Arrival

**Disclaimer:  **I don't own Yugioh or TBAA.  Just borrowing them for the story!****

**Author's Notes:**.  Hello everyone!  This fic is the sequel to "Listening With the Heart".  I do try to explain what's going on in certain parts of the fic for those of you who haven't read LWTH, as this fic does refer back to things that had happened in LWTH.   Hyatt Insomnia is back as my beta-reader…for which I am eternally grateful!  

This fic is also a true Yugioh/TBAA crossover.  You don't have to watch TBAA (Touched By An Angel) to know what's going on, though.  It's got more Yugioh than TBAA, so I'm putting it in the Yugioh section.

On with the fic!

**Warnings:  **Mild violence and language, so far.

To Steal, Kill, and Destroy 

**Chapter One:  Evil's Arrival**

******************************************************************************************

_The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy….._John 10:10, KJV

******************************************************************************************

****

The alarm sounded for the third time in the spiky haired teenager's bedroom.  A hand came out from underneath the covers and banged down on the offending clock..  

//Good morning, aibou.  Sleep well?//

/Uh huh./

// It's time to get up, aibou. //

/Uh huh./

// The house is on fire, aibou.//

/Uh huh./

// Giant termites have invaded and are now devouring the house, aibou. //

/Uh huh./

// One of them is crawling up your leg even as we speak.. //

/That's nice, Yami./

// You're not up yet, are you? //

/Uh huh./

Yami sighed and sat down on the edge of Yugi's bed in his false form.  "I really hate to do this to you, aibou…but…."

// YUGI!! WAKE UP!! //

His Hikari quickly popped up.  "Huh? Wha?  What's going on?"

"Good morning, aibou.  Sleep well?"  Yami smiled at him.

"I was until you started yelling at me!"

The ancient Egyptian spirit chuckled.  "I'm sorry, aibou.  It was either me yelling or you getting a detention."

"What time is it, anyway?"  Yugi yawned and sleepily reached for the clock.  His eyes widened when he saw it.  "Oh, no!"  He jumped out of bed and began rushing around.

"My thoughts exactly, aibou."

Yami chuckled while Yugi scurried around, trying to get ready.  He was about to run out the door when his darker half stopped him.  "Aren't you forgetting something?"  

Yugi looked down at himself.  He had his blue Domino High school uniform on, complete with his jacket and pants.  He thought maybe he'd forgotten to put them on in his rush!  He looked up at the ancient spirit, who calmly pointed at the dresser.  Yugi's backpack was sitting on the floor next to it.

"Oh!  Thanks, Yami!"  Yugi ran to retrieve his backpack.  He bent down to pick it up.  When he stood up again, he was startled to see a figure in the mirror above his dresser.  It was a man, dressed in a long white robe and turban.  Yugi's eyes widened in shock, then whirled around to face the new arrival.  "Shaddi!"

"I come with a warning, O Chosen One.  A great and terrible evil approaches.  Be on your guard."

"Oh no!" Yugi cried  "Is it after the Millennium Puzzle?"

"That I do not know.  I do know that it is extremely powerful…and will leave nothing in its wake but destruction, pain, and sorrow.  It will affect all who come in contact with it."

"That's terrible!"

"Do not trust what your eyes can see or what your ears can hear. The evil will be arriving very soon.  Be very careful, lest you become ensnared by it."  The Egyptian then turned around and walked out of Yugi's bedroom.

"Wait!  Don't go!  I have more questions!  How will I know this evil if I can't even trust my own senses!? "  The spiky haired boy dropped his backpack and ran after Shaddi out into the hallway.  But it was too late.  The mysterious Egyptian had vanished as suddenly as he had appeared.

******************************************************************

The CEO of Kaiba Corporation was returning to his office after a long morning of business meetings.  He was hoping to spend the rest of the day working on something he actually liked, no loved: his games.  He wanted to spend some time tweaking his new virtual game and Kaiba Corporation's Duel Disk systems.  However, when he entered his office he found a woman sitting there waiting for him.  She appeared to be in her mid to late thirties, and her auburn hair was pulled into a tight bun on her head.  She flashed a smile at him as he walked into his office.  "Hello, Kaiba.  I've been waiting for you."

"Really?  I don't recall having any other appointments today."  

"Well…to be honest, I didn't exactly make an appointment."

"Then you can make an appointment with my secretary on the way out."  The tall brunette placed his briefcase on his desk and proceeded to switch on his computer, ignoring the woman who was still in his office.

"Now, Kaiba," she smiled, "Is that any way to treat your new business partner?"

The young CEO glared at her with his ice blue eyes.  "No, I suppose it isn't.  However, you are _not _my new business partner. So, if you don't mind, I'm rather busy at the moment."  He went back to his typing.

The auburn-haired woman ignored him and walked over to the office window.  "It's a lovely view you have here."

Kaiba was starting to lose his already thin patience.  "Do I need to have security come and escort you out?"

"Oh, you don't want to do that, Kaiba."

"Trust me…right now I want to do that _very_ much..  And if you don't leave in the next three seconds, I will do it."

She smiled wickedly at him.  "Aw, Kaiba…you don't want me to have to tell them about Gozoburo, do you?"  She looked back out the window.  "Your office is on a higher floor than his was…one would think that after you pushed him, you would have wanted an office on a lower floor instead.  Ah, but then again, that could be another way of keeping people from suspecting you.  Or maybe you just like the view from up here."  She turned back towards him with a smug smile on her face.

"I have no idea what you're babbling on about."  He looked at her in his usual unemotional way.

She chuckled.  "You always were good at giving that poker face, weren't you?  Just another one of your talents.  Sorry, but it won't work with me."

"I still don't know what you're talking about.  And your three seconds are up."

"I know that you murdered Gozoburo Kaiba.  Throw me out now, and I'll have you put away for murder.  Who's going to take care of poor little Mokuba while you're gone?"

"You're insane,"  Kaiba snarled at her, standing up, "Besides, it's your word against mine. No one would ever believe you.  Now get out of here before I throw you out myself."

"Hmm…I can see you're going to need a bit of convincing.  Do you remember a man by the name of Louis DeAngelino?"  She walked around to the front of Kaiba's desk.

"What about him?"

"What would you say if I came back here tomorrow…with Mr. DeAngelino?"

"I'd say you're crazier than I thought you were.  That scumbag isn't getting out of jail anytime soon."   Kaiba had personally hired the best attorney to prosecute Louis DeAngelino himself. The police had caught him while he was trying to escape from the building where he had held Joey hostage, along with his father.  What had enraged Kaiba even more is that both Louis and Joey's father, Frank, had tried to coerce Joey into stealing items from the Kaiba mansion.  Joey had refused them and was rewarded for his efforts by being chained to a bed.  Luckily, a local waitress who had befriended both Joey and Kaiba overheard the two men talking while they ate at the diner where she worked.  She had called Kaiba, who ended up following the two to their apartment.  Joey's father had been killed in the fight that ensued.  However, Louie had fled when the fighting started…and ended up running right into the arms of the police.  Even more unfortunate for him was the fact that he had incurred the wrath of the CEO of Kaiba Corp.  He was not a man to be trifled with, and he made sure that the book was thrown at Louie.  With Kaiba's power and influence, he could also insure that Louis DeAngelino wouldn't even be able to secure a parole, much less a release from jail.

"I'll be back tomorrow, then…with Mr. DeAngelino in tow.  You see, Kaiba, as much power as you may think you have…I have more.  I can be your best friend or your worst enemy.  The choice is up to you."

"You're delusional."

"We'll see about that."  With that, she turned to go.  Just before she left, she turned back to him.  "By the way…my name is Monique."

_How could she know? _Kaiba thought to himself.  _How?  Well, it doesn't matter.  Hopefully, she won't be back here tomorrow…there's no way she'll be able to get that piece of trash out.  No way._

**************************************************************************************

Please read and review!  Arigato!


	2. Undeserved Rewards

**Disclaimer:  **I don't own Yugioh or TBAA.  If I did, I'd be very happy.****

**Author's Notes:**.  Hello everyone!  

ObiWanGirl:  Yes, the Monique in this story is the Monique from Touched By An Angel.  For those of you who know who Monique is, then you know what she is as well.  Hee…hee…  For those that don't…you'll find out later…let's just say she isn't very nice…

Thank you to all who reviewed so far.  A special thank you goes to my beta-reader, Hyatt Insomnia!  

**Warnings:  **Mild violence and language, so far.

To Steal, Kill, and Destroy 

**Chapter Two:  Undeserved Rewards**

Louie slowly walked over to the window where the woman was sitting and waiting for him.  He picked up the phone to communicate with her.

"Hello, Louie," she smiled at him.

"Do I know you?"

"No, but I know you.  How would you like to get out of here?"

The dark-haired man chuckled.  "I sure would!  Hey, I'd also like a million dollars, but I don't see that happenin' soon, either."

"You'd be surprised at how fast things can happen"

"Hey, from your lips to God's ears, doll."  

"I assure you," her smile grew even wider, "God has nothing to do with this.  Now, do you want to get out, or don't you?"

"Sure, I do.  But how?"

"You just sit back, relax, and watch the show."  She hung up the phone and walked over to the guard.  "Mr. DeAngelino will be leaving now."

"Yes ma'am," the guard replied.  He approached Louie.  "C'mon, DeAngelino, it's time to go." 

Louie looked up at him, stunned.  "Huh?"

"It's time to go," the officer repeated, annoyed.  What, are you deaf or something?  C'mon, get up off your butt!"

Somewhat dazed, Louie got up and started walking towards the auburn-haired woman.  "Come, Mr.DeAngelino.  We need to collect your things."

"Hey, I get it!  This is one of those Candid Camera things, ain't it?"

"I'm afraid not, Mr.DeAngelino."

They both went to get Louie's things.  After Louie was satisfied that everything was in order, he went to go change into his civilian clothes.  Another guard and his mysterious savior then escorted him outside.  "Well, you're free to go now, Mr. DeAngelino," the guard told him as he locked the gates behind him.

Louie looked incredulously at Monique.  "That's all there is?  I'm out?"

"That's all there is," she smiled back.  "You're out."

"So I'm free to go?"

"You're free to go.  However…"

"I knew it! I knew this was too good to be true!  There's always gotta be a catch!"

"As I was saying, you are free to go.  You can walk away right now and never have to see me ever again if you want.  But I think you might find my offer quite…shall we say…. intriguing."

"Offer?" he blinked.  "What kind of offer?"

"You've only seen but a small sample of my powers, Louie.  Stick with me, and I can give you things beyond your wildest dreams!  The choice is yours.  What will it be?"

"Hey, I'm stickin' wit' you, lady!  I ain't got nothin' better ta do, anyway," he replied with a smile.

"Good choice."  She pulled out an official looking piece of paper.  "Just sign here."

"No problem!"  He grabbed it and quickly signed his name, without even reading it. 

*******************************************************************

Much to Kaiba's dismay, both Monique and Louie were waiting for him when he walked into his office the next morning.  "How did you get in here?" he angrily demanded. "And what is he doing here?" He pointed his forefinger at Louie.

"It's as I told you before, Kaiba.  I have my ways," she turned to Louie. "Louie, be a dear,  and wait for us outside the office for a few moments, all right?"

"Um…well, ok…if that's whatcha want…"

"Yes, please."  Louie did as he was told.  She then turned her attention back to the young CEO.  "Well, what do you think, Kaiba?  Have I convinced you of my…shall we say…skills, yet?"

Kaiba gave her one of his infamous glares.  "How did you get that scumbag out of jail?"

She rolled her eyes.  "Really, now, Kaiba, must I say it again?  I told you, I have my ways…and trust me, not only can I get Mr. DeAngelino released from jail….I can have you put in there if I so desire.  You're an intelligent man, Kaiba.  I'm sure you can clearly see this is in everyone's best interest."

The tall brunette was growing angrier by the second.  The last thing he wanted to do was to hire someone like her, who obviously could not be trusted.  But she had him over a barrel, and they both knew it.  He had no choice.  

"Fine, then," he grumbled, "Take the office down the hall to the right."

She smiled.  "I knew you'd make the right decision.  And I assume you have a desk for Mr. DeAngelino?"

Kaiba's eyes widened.  "There is no way I'm hiring that piece of trash!"

Monique chuckled.  "Come now, Kaiba…after all, I'll be needing an assistant…and Mr. DeAngelino will be needing a job…"

"No."

"Sorry, Kaiba, but we're a package deal.  So you'll either have to take both of us, or I go have a little chat with the police."

Kaiba was ready to explode.  "Fine, then! Do whatever the hell you want!"  He stormed out of the office.

Her eyes flashed red as she watched him leave.  "I intend to do just that."

*****************************************

Next Chapter:  Kaiba confronts Joey!  Please read and review! Thank you!


	3. Friendships Destroyed

**Disclaimer:  **I don't own Yugioh or TBAA.  If I did, I'd be very happy.****

**Author's Notes:**.  Hello everyone!  

To Yamigirl (and all):  No, Kaiba doesn't go to school in my fanfics.  I kind of see Kaiba as someone a little older than the rest of the gang…18, maybe 19…He mostly works…I don't know how old he is in the anime…I know in the magna he's supposed to be in school with them and all…but I don't know, he just seems older to me.  Maybe because he's a genius.   I don't know..the guy takes care of Mokuba, and he runs his own company…I mean, some 18 year olds couldn't do that! (Heck some 30 year olds probably couldn't, either, but I digress…) Even in the anime, I think the only time they showed him in anything that looked like school that I remember was the first episode…the one where he overhears them talking about the "rare card" which turns out to be the Blue Eyes…they're always showing him working or something…Anyway, that's kind of the way I've written it in these two stories…I don't know if it's accurate, but it's my version of things…you can think of it as AU if you like…does that make sense?

To High Crystal Guardian:  Joey doesn't even find about that yet….just wait till he does….I think that's gonna be either in the next chappie or chapter 5…I've got it written out, but I'm not sure how I'm going to break up the chapters yet.

Thank you to all who reviewed so far.  A special thank you goes to my beta-reader, Hyatt Insomnia!  

**Warnings:  **Mild violence and language, so far.

To Steal, Kill, and Destroy 

**Chapter Three:  Friendships Destroyed**

 "Hi Grandpa!" Yugi called cheerfully as he walked through the door of the game shop with Tristan and Joey.  

"Well, hello there!  Are we all ready to watch the Duel Monsters Tournament on TV tonight?"

"You bet, Gramps!" Joey replied cheerfully.  "I can't wait!"

"Good! I've got lots of popcorn ready for you boys."

"Thank you, Mr. Motou." Tristan offered politely.

"Yeah, thanks, Gramps!  That's awesome!" Joey chimed in.

"It's my pleasure," the elder Motou winked, "Just try to save some for the other two boys, Joey."

"Hey!" Joey said indignantly.

Tristan snickered.  "He's got a point there."

Joey side glanced at his pal. "Watch it!"

"C'mon let's go upstairs and get ready!" Yugi waved to his friends.  The three boys raced upstairs and turned on the TV.  They were already giving commentaries on the upcoming tournament. They started making the popcorn and plopped themselves down in front of the TV.  Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Ya expectin' someone else, Yug?"  Joey asked.

"No, not really.  Tea said that she was busy with a family thing tonight…but maybe it got cancelled."  To his surprise, when he opened the door none other than Seto Kaiba was standing there.  Yugi's eyes widened.  "Kaiba?"

"Hey, Kaiba, didja come ta watch the tournament with us?"  Joey and the tall brunette had recently ended their fighting, and had actually started becoming friends.  Unfortunately, that truce was about to come to an abrupt end.

"Don't be ridiculous," the CEO hissed as he rudely pushed his way past Yugi.  "I went to your house, and your mother told me you were here."  He grabbed Joey roughly by the arm, yanked him to his feet, and started dragging him towards the door.  

"Eh, Kaiba, what's yer problem!?"  

"You are. Outside. Now,"  Kaiba replied coldly.

Tristan got up and blocked Kaiba's way.  "You can't just come bustin' in other people's houses doing anything you feel like!  Maybe Joey doesn't want to talk to you."

"This doesn't concern you.  Now get out of my way, or I'll toss you out the window."

Tristan narrowed his eyes.  "I'd like to see you try."

"Don't tempt me."

Joey jumped in, fearing that Kaiba might actually carry out his threat.  "Hey, Tristan, it's cool.  I'll talk ta 'im."

"You sure?"  

"Yeah, don't sweat it.  I'll be back in a sec." Joey grinned.  Kaiba yanked on his arm again and dragged him outside.  "Hey, take it easy!  Ya don't gotta break my arm, ya know!"

"Don't give me any ideas."

"What the hell's wrong with ya today, anyway?  Did Kaiba Corp.'s stock go down or somethin'?"

Once they were outside, Kaiba pushed Joey up against the wall on the side of the Game Shop.  "Who did you tell?? I want names!  NOW!"

Joey stared back at him blankly.  "Huh?  Whaddya talkin' 'bout?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Wheeler!  I want names and I want them NOW!"

"What the hell are ya talkin' 'bout?  What names?"

Kaiba narrowed his ice blue eyes.  "You know perfectly well what I'm talking about."

"Kaiba,I swear ta ya, I got no idea what you're jabberin' on about!" Joey cried in frustration.  "Ya ever think about seein' a shrink?"

"You think this is funny!? You think this some sort of game!?  Well, you'd better think again!"  Kaiba grabbed Joey by the collar.

"So who's laughin'?"  Joey asked.  "But seriously, Kaiba, I got no idea what yer talkin' about.  So ya mind cluin' me in?"

"Who. Did. You. Tell. About. My. Foster. Father," Kaiba spat out through gritted teeth.

Joey's eyes widened.  Now he understood.  Kaiba had told Joey the truth about what had happened to his foster father shortly after his own father had died.  "I-I didn't tell nobody, Kaiba! Honest!"

"Don't lie to me!  Who did you tell??"  

"No one!  I swear it!"

"I'm warning you…."

"Kaiba, I swear ta ya, I didn't tell nobody!  I wouldn't do that ta ya!"

"You've got one last chance, mutt.  Now, who did you tell?"

"I told ya, I didn't tell nobody!"

Kaiba released his grip Joey and crossed his arms.  "So, you want to play games with me, then?  That's just fine.  I've totally creamed you already at Duel Monsters.  One would have thought you would have learned from that experience not to get in over your head.  Guess some mutts just have to be disciplined more than others before they finally learn their lesson."

"Whateva.  I didn't tell nobody.  Ya don't wanna believe me, there ain't nothing I can do about it."

"All right, mutt.  We'll play your game.  As usual, you've chosen to play with someone who is way out your league," he smirked, "I guess it's true what they say…you can't teach an old dog new tricks."

The blonde teen was starting to become annoyed.  "Yeah, whateva.  I still think ya oughta go see a shrink.  Maybe they can help you with your paranoia."

Kaiba glared back at him.  "Just remember one thing, mutt. You may know my weaknesses…but I also know yours as well." He turned and walked to his limo, which was parked out front.  He opened the door, then turned around to face Joey.  "Oh, by the way…how are your mother and sister doing?  Good health is so hard to recover once it's lost…don't you agree?"

Joey gave a little gasp and his eyes widened. "Wha…what the heck is that supposed ta mean!?"

Kaiba smirked and got into the limo.

"Hey!  Hey, you get back here! What the hell did ya mean by that, Kaiba!?"

The limo pulled away and Joey ran after it, yelling at the top of his lungs.  "You leave my mother and sister outta this, ya sleazy slimeball!!  Who the hell do ya think ya are, anyway!?  Ya better not touch them, ya hear me, Kaiba??  Ya come near 'em and I'll kick yer ass, Moneybags!!"

Tristan, Yugi, and Solomon came running out of the Game Shop.  Tristan reached Joey first.  "Hey, Joey, what's the matter?  They probably could hear you on the next block!"

Joey shoved his hands in his pockets, sulking.     "Nothin'"

"Well, it sure didn't sound like nothing to me.  What did Kaiba say to you?"

"Nothin', man, he's jus' bein' a creep, as usual."

Tristan narrowed his eyes.  "I thought you said Kaiba wasn't all that bad."

"Yeah, well, I was wrong, okay!?  So sue me!"

The brunette put his hands up in a gesture of surrender.  "Hey, take it easy, pal! I'm just tryin' to help ya."

Yugi looked concerned as well.  "What happened, Joey?  What did Kaiba do to make you so upset?"

"Ah, nothin'….he's jus' being a jerk, that's all."  Joey forced himself to smile.  "Don't worry about it, Yug.  I c'n take 'im."  He winked and gave him the thumbs up sign.

"But what happened?  What did Kaiba want?"

"Jus' ta bug the hell outta me, as usual….uh, listen, Yug…I totally forgot, I tol' my ma I'd help 'er out around the house tonight…so's if I don't get home, she'll be real pissed off at me, ya know?  So…I guess we'll jus' haveta take a raincheck on tonight…."  Before anyone could protest, the blonde teenager took off in the direction of his home.

Tristan watched as his friend quickly fled down the block.  "I don't know about the two of you…but I didn't buy that for one second."

"I agree with you," the elder Motou commented.  "He's definitely upset about something."

Yugi was worried for his friend.  He'd been uneasy since he had received the warning from Shaddi a couple of days ago.   This event certainly didn't make him feel any better. "Maybe we should check up on him later on."

"Good idea, Yugi," Tristan agreed.

**************************************************************************************

I apologize to all the Seto/Joey lovers out there…but it's part of the story!! Where would a story be without angst!?  We must have the angst!!  Don't kill me…kill Monique…it's her fault…

Reviews are very much appreciated!  Arigato!!


	4. Mind Games

**Disclaimer**:  I don't own Yugioh or TBAA.  Would be nice if I did, but I don't.

**Author's Notes:.**  Hello everyone!  Thank you to all who reviewed so far.  A special thank you goes to my beta-reader, Hyatt Insomnia!  

**Warnings**:  Mild violence and language, so far.

To Steal, Kill, and Destroy 

**Chapter Four:  Mind Games**

Joey practically ran all the way home.  He suddenly stopped in his tracks, as he grew closer to his block.  Parked across the street from his house was a white limousine.  _No way, the blonde thought to himself, "That can't be Kaiba's limo!  It just can't be!" He took off as fast as his legs could go down the block. " I swear to God, if that rich arrogant pig has done anythin' to 'em, I'm gonna kill 'im!!"_

He finally reached the doorway.  "Damn…. now where are my stupid keys…" He fumbled around looking for his keys in his pocket, while glaring at the limo across the street.  He finally found them, and ended up dropping them on the ground.  "Damn it!"  He grabbed the keys and shoved them into the lock.  After battling with this new obstacle for a few moments, he finally was able to open the door.  He ran in, slamming it behind him.

Across the street, the CEO of Kaiba Corporation was watching the teenager's antics with great amusement.  _Stupid puppy.  So predictable._

"We can go now," he ordered the driver.

*******************************************************************************

Joey burst into the house, the door slamming loudly behind him.  "MOM!  SERENITY!"  No one was in the living room, so he ran to the kitchen.  "MOM!! SERENITY!  WHERE ARE YA??"  

Panic began to rise up in the young boy.  He raced up the stairs, taking them two at a time.  "MOM!! SERENI…" He literally ran into one of the women he was looking for, sending her sprawling to the floor.

"Oh, sorry 'bout that, sis.  You okay?"  Joey reached out a hand to help her up.

"I'm fine, no thanks to you," she replied, taking his outstretched hand and lifting herself off the floor.

"Hey, I said I was sorry!  I didn't see ya there."

Serenity chuckled in response.  "Well, you might have if you hadn't been going 90 miles an hour!"

Just then, the other female member of the family he had been looking for walked down the hallway and approached the two teens.  "What on earth is all the commotion about?"

"Nothin', Ma."

"Well, it certainly didn't sound like nothing," she replied,  "I thought you were going over to Yugi's to watch the tournament."

"Um…yeah, I was…but, uh…Yug had ta help with Grandpa out wit' somethin' for the store.  So I figured I might as well come home ta make sure everythin's okay over here."

"Everything's fine, Joseph.  Is there a reason it wouldn't be?"

Joey laughed nervously and put his hands up in a gesture of surrender.  "No, no, of course not!  It's just…ya know…yer two females alone in the house, an' stuff…"

His sister rolled her eyes.  "Oh, yeah, we're just two helpless little females, and you're the big, strong man."

"Hey!  Ya outta be glad that someone's watchin' yer back!"

"Yeah, but who's gonna watch yours?" she giggled.

"I don't need nobody ta watch me," he closed his eyes, and pointed to himself with his thumb,  "Joey Wheeler c'n take care of himself!"

"Well, that's good to hear," his mother said as she grabbed a basket of laundry from the bathroom and handed it to him, "Since Joey Wheeler can take care of himself, that means he's certainly capable of doing his own laundry." 

"Huh?"  Joey facefaulted.

Serenity gave him a playful shove on the back.  "Go get that laundry, you big, strong man!"  Joey growled in response.

Later on, Joey and Serenity were sitting in front of the TV, watching the Duel Monsters Tournament.  Joey was explaining the game to her as they watched.  The ringing of the doorbell interrupted them.  Mrs. Wheeler answered it.  "Who is it?"

"Yugi and Tristan, Mrs. Wheeler," Came a familiar cheerful voice on the other end of the door.  She opened the door for them.  "Oh, hello boys.  Joey's in the living room watching the Tournament with Serenity."

"Thanks, Mrs. Wheeler."    The two boys entered the house and saw Joey and Serenity sitting on the couch in the living room.  Joey's eyes widened when he saw them.  What are they doin' here now??

"So, Yugi, I take it you finished up helping out your Grandfather, then?"  Mrs. Wheeler commented.

Yugi turned around. "Hm?"

Tristan, who had more experience with these sorts of situations than Yugi did, spoke up quickly.   "Oh, yeah, he did.  He called me when he was done, and we decided that we'd both come over here and keep Joey company for the Tournament."

"Well, that was sweet of you boys!  Wasn't it, Joey?"

"Oh, yeah, real sweet," Joey replied somewhat sarcastically.  Tristan immediately jumped next to Serenity on the couch, and Yugi sat next to Joey. 

"Do you guys want some lemonade?  My mom and I just made some," the auburn-haired girl offered.

"Sure, that'd be great!  Thanks, Serenity!" Yugi smiled.

She smiled in response. "Okay, then, I'll be right back."

The minute she left the room, Tristan turned to Joey.  "Okay, spill.  What's goin' on with you?"

The blonde boy glared at him. "Nothin', man!  I tol' ya that before."

"Yeah.  And you told your mom that Yugi had to help his Grandpa out tonight."

Joey blushed slightly.  "I dunno…she must've of thought I tol' her it was tonight…Yugi's always helpin' Gramps out, ya know…"

His long-time friend frowned at him.  "Hey, don't try to con a con artist, man.  I've heard it all before."

"Back off, Tristan!"

"Then tell me what's wrong with you.  What did Kaiba do to get you this riled up?"

"Hey, man, Kaiba ain't the one rilin' me up right now!  You happen to be doin' a great job of that yerself without any help from Moneybags!"

"We're just trying to help you, Joey," Yugi chimed in, "We're worried about you."

"Yeah, well, I don't need ya ta worry 'bout me.  I c'n take care 'o myself."

"Why you always have to be so damn stubborn?"  Tristan was starting to get annoyed himself.

"Okay, here's some lemonades coming right up!" Serenity called from the kitchen.

"Shut up, my sis is comin' back!" Joey whispered.  "I don't wantcha worryin' her too!"

"Well, then, you had better tell me what's up with you," the brunette warned, "or I'll ask her what's up with you."

"Shaddup!" Joey hissed.

"Here's your lemonade."  Serenity set down the tray on the coffee table as she handed the drinks to the boys.

"Thanks, Serenity!" Yugi said as he took his glass.

"Wow, this is great lemonade, Serenity!  I bet you're a great cook!"  Tristan scooted slightly closed to her while Joey glared at him.

She giggled.  "Well, I don't know about that.  It's just lemonade."

"But it's the best lemonade I've ever tasted!"

Joey leaned over to Yugi and whispered in his ear.  "Ya know, Yug, I'm about this close ta killin' the guy!"  The spiky haired teen just grinned nervously in response, hoping Joey wouldn't actually carry out his threat.

********************************************************************

Next up…The Wheelers get an unexpected and unwelcome visitor!

Please read and review!  Arigato!


	5. Intrusions

Disclaimer:  I don't own Yugioh or TBAA.  Would be nice if I did, but I don't.

Author's Notes:  Hello everyone!  Thank you to all who reviewed so far.  A special thank you goes to my beta-reader, Hyatt Insomnia!  

Warnings:  Mild violence and language, so far.

To Steal, Kill, and Destroy 

Chapter Five:  Intrusions 

Unfortunately, Tristan and Yugi were not the only ones visiting the Wheeler household that evening.  About an hour later, the doorbell rang yet again.  Mrs. Wheeler answered it, then came in the living room to get her son.  "Joseph, there's a man by the door who claims to be a friend of yours…he says his name is Louie…"

Instantly, the boy jumped to his feet and raced to the door.  Standing on the front porch was Louie DeAngelino.  "Hey, Joey, how're ya doin'?"  Joey's response was to give the man a solid fist to the jaw.

"GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE, YA CREEP!!  WHAT THE HELL DIDJA DO, BREAK OUTTA JAIL, OR SOMETHIN'??  YOU STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY FAMILY, YOU HEAR ME, YA LOUSY GOOD FOR NOTHIN' LOWLIFE!!!"

"Whoa, hey, Joey, take it easy," the black-haired man replied as he picked himself up from the ground.  By this time, Yugi and Tristan had run outside, and were standing right behind Joey.  Serenity and her mother were standing in the doorway.  Serenity had her arm around her mother…she couldn't imagine what was making her big brother so angry!  The blonde continued to rant and rave at the man.  "GET OUTTA HERE!! NOW!!"

"Joey, who is this guy?" Tristan asked.

"That's Louie.  That's the creep that helped my father ta…" he trailed off, not wanting to finish his sentence, especially in front of his sister.

Tristan's eyes widened.  He understood exactly what Joey was saying.  He then looked at Louie and narrowed his eyes.  "He's right.  You better leave.  Now."

"Hey, is this any way ta greet an ol' friend o' yours?"

"You ain't my friend."  If looks could kill, Louie would have been dead in seconds.

"Aw, c'mon, Joey…it's water under the bridge!  Why not let bygones be bygones?  Your ol' hotshot friend Kaiba did."

"Kaiba ain't my friend, neither!"  Joey growled, "An' jus' what exactly do ya mean by that?"

Louie chuckled.  "Yer ol' friend Kaiba gave me a job."

Joey's eyes widened.  "No way!"

"Why would Kaiba give a job to a creep like you, anyway?"  Tristan added.

He simply shrugged.  "Beats me.  Guess he jus' has good taste, huh?"

The blonde clenched his hands into fists.  "Get the hell outta here or I'll call the cops an' have yer sorry ass thrown back in the slammer where it belongs."

Yami, who had taken over Yugi's body, stepped up.  "I suggest you do as he says… or you may suffer a fate far worse than any jail you can imagine."

"Okay, okay, I can tell when I'm not wanted!  I'm goin', I'm goin'!"

Joey glared at him as he crossed the street, got into his car, and drove away.  He still stood outside with his fists clenched after Louie's car could no longer be seen. 

"Joseph, who was that man?"   Her son didn't answer her.  She walked up to him.  "Joseph Wheeler, I demand an explanation!"

"No one, Ma," he said quietly.  He was still looking down the street with his fists clenched.  Now that she was closer to him, she noticed that he was trembling slightly.  

"Joey," she said in a much softer tone, "Why don't you come back in the house, and finish watching the Duel Monsters Tournament with your friends?"

"C'mon, Joey," Yugi, now back to his old self, tugged at his arm, "Let's go back inside, and watch the rest of the Tournament, okay?"

"Okay."  Joey slowly turned and went back into the house.  Once inside, he went back to trying to be his usual cheerful self again.  But they all knew that although he was doing his best to hide it, something was really bothering him.

******************************************************************** 

Kaiba was at his desk bright and early in the morning as usual when he heard the distraught voice of his secretary outside his office.   "But, sir!  You can't go in there!  Mr. Kaiba does not wish to be disturbed!"

The door banged open to reveal an enraged Joey Wheeler on the other side of it.  He marched right up to Kaiba's desk and stuck his finger in his face.  "I wanna know if it's true!!  You tell me to my face, ya jerk!!"

"Oh, Mr. Kaiba, I'm so sorry!  I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen…"

"It's all right, Nanette," the CEO replied, standing up, "I can handle stray dogs.  You may go now."

"Thank you, sir," she quickly left, shutting the door behind her.

"You tell me, ya jerk.  Tell me to my face!!"  Joey repeated.

"I don't even know what you're talking about, mutt."

"You tell me… I wanna know if it's true that ya hired that lowlife slime ball ta work fer ya!"

"Who I hire is none of your business, Chihuahua."

"It is my business when ya go around hirin' lowlife creeps that kidnapped me, and chained me ta a bed!" (1)

Kaiba smirked.  "I thought that was your loving father's idea."

"Shaddup!!  You just tell me if ya hired that no-good snake!"

"I believe I've already given you an answer, mutt.  Now why don't you run along and find some dog toys to play with?"

The blonde duelist growled and clenched his fists.  "I ain't leavin'!  Not until ya gimme an answer!"

"And I told you…you've already got your answer.  What I do at Kaiba Corporation is none of your business.  Now get out of my sight."

"No!  I want a real answer, Moneybags!!  Or are you too chicken ta tell me ta my face?"

"Don't make me laugh.  The day I'm afraid of you all Hell will freeze over."

"Then you answer me!"

The door suddenly opened, and Monique came in.  "What's going on in here?"

Kaiba was doubly annoyed.  Now he had not only the puppy dog to contend with, but the witch as well.  "Nothing that concerns you, Monique."

"Anything to do with Kaiba Corporation concerns me.  Is this young man disturbing you?"

Kaiba's glare would have sent a lesser being scrambling in fear.  "This doesn't concern you.  Don't you have something better to you?"

"The safety and well-being of our CEO always takes top priority above anything else."

"Oh, please," Joey rolled his eyes, "Why don'tcha jus' crawl up there an' kiss his butt?"

"Excuse me?"

"Listen, lady…no offense, but this here's between me an' Moneybags."

"Young man, I will not tolerate anyone threatening our CEO," she replied in a stern voice.

"I ain't threatin' him.  I jus' want the jerk ta answer a simple question.  Which he won't do."

Kaiba was starting to get a headache.  He stood up. "Both of you, get out of my office now!"

"I toldja, not 'till ya gimme an answer!  Didja or didja not hire Louie the creep?"

"You mean Mr. DeAngelino?"  Monique interjected.  "Why, yes, Mr. DeAngelino is an employee of Kaiba Corporation.  Is that all you wanted to know?"

Joey's amber eyes widened.  He couldn't believe his ears!  He glared at Kaiba.  "Ya did it, didn't ya?  Ya reeeeeally did it.  Ya hired that…that…that _thing after what he did ta me.  That's low, Kaiba, even fer you!"_

"Now, see here, young man!  Mr. DeAngelino happens to be a fine upstanding member of this company and of society."

"Yeah, an' I'm da Queen of England!"     

"Unfortunately, he got involved in a domestic dispute between this awful man and his delinquent son.  The poor man was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"WHAT!?"  Joey was growing angrier by the second.  "Is that what he toldja!?"

"That's what happened."

"Yeah?  Did he also happen ta tell ya that the 'domestic dispute' was him helpin' my dad ta kidnap me?"

Monique gave a little gasp. "Oh, my!  You're not…"

Joey crossed his arms and glared at her.  "Yeah, I am.  An' whateva that creep Louie toldja ain't nothin' but a pack 'o lies!"

"Oh, dear," Monique breathed, and quickly left the office.

Kaiba sat back down again and started typing on his computer.  "You can go now, too, Chihuahua."

The blonde teen turned his attention back to Kaiba.  "No."

"Fine. Stand then like the idiot you are, then.  I've got work to do."   The CEO's cold sapphire eyes never left his monitor.

"I wanna hear it from you.  I wantcha ta tell me ta my face, ya backstabbin' coward!"

"I've got nothing to say to you."  

Joey banged his fists down on Kaiba's desk.  "I'm gonna chuck that damn computer outta the window in another two seconds if ya don't listen ta me!"

"Touch it and you'll be the one flying out the window, mutt."

Joey clenched his fists and growled at the CEO.  Before he could do anything, Monique came back in the office.  "Apparently it seems you have another visitor."  

The blonde teen's eyes grew wide.  "Ma?"

"Joseph?"

Suddenly, two men in black suits rushed in and grabbed the younger Wheeler.  "Hey! Leggo o' me, ya creeps!"  Mrs. Wheeler gasped and Kaiba immediately jumped up from his chair.  "That isn't necessary!  I can handle stray dogs myself.  Let him go!"

The security guards ignored the billionaire and continued to struggle with Joey.  One of them drew a gun from his pocket, raised it up, and slammed it into Joey's temple.  The young boy instantly crumpled to the floor while his mother screamed.

************************************************************

Footnotes:

1.) Reference to LWTH, Chapter 15

Please read and review! Arigato!


	6. Stabs In The Heart

**Disclaimer:**  I don't own Yugioh or TBAA.  I don't own Pokemon, either, but since they're not in the story, it really doesn't matter now, does it??

**Author's Notes**:.  Hello everyone!  I don't know what Joey's mom's name is, so I made up a name for her also.  Her name is Carla.  Thank you to all who reviewed so far.  A special thank you goes to my beta-reader, Hyatt Insomnia!  

**Warnings**:  Mild violence and language, so far.

To Steal, Kill, and Destroy 

Chapter Six:  Stabs in the Heart 

Kaiba was absolutely furious at what had just happened.  "What the hell was that for!?  Are you both insane?"

The guard who had hit Joey looked up at his boss.  "We were just doing our job, Mr. Kaiba."

"Your job?  Since when does your job involve knocking innocent victims unconscious?"

"But…but you told us that you had a dangerous intruder in your office..and to subdue him using any means necessary!"

The billionaire was narrowed his eyes.  "I never said any such thing!  As a matter of fact, I specifically told you both to let him go."

The other guard spoke up.  "I never heard you say that, sir."

"Well, you had better hear this…you're both fired.  Now get out of my office, or I'll toss you out myself!"

The first guard gasped.  "B-but sir…!"

"Get out.  Now."  Kaiba pointed towards the door.

"B-but…but…my w-wife's pregnant, s-sir….I n-need this job…."

"Then you should have thought of that before."

"B-but…"

"Get. Out."

The second guard sighed.  "C'mon, Charlie, let's go."  He slowly left, with his friend trailing reluctantly behind him.

As soon as they left Joey's mother rushed to his side.  Kaiba knelt down by him, also.  As he did so, Mrs. Wheeler slapped his face.  "How dare you do this to my son!"

Kaiba was caught off guard at first.  Then his entire countenance darkened…you could feel the rage radiating off of the CEO.  "Oh, yes, here comes the loving absentee mother to the rescue."

"How dare you!"  She repeated.

"No, how dare you.  How dare you come into my office and play the part of the concerned mother!  Where were you when he really needed you?  When your husband was beating the hell out of him day and night?"

"My ex-husband," she interrupted, "And you have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Don't I?  You think this is bad?  This is nothing compared to what he's been forced to put up with all these years!  And yet you have the nerve to come into my office and slap me.  Tell me, what did you to your husband for nearly beating your son to death every night?  Did you do anything at all?"

"I don't have time to argue with you!"  Kaiba's comments had hurt her deeply.  She could feel tears threatening to well up inside her.  "I have to attend to my son."

"I see.  And exactly how many years did it take you to figure that out?"

Beneath them, Joey stirred and groaned.  "Joey, honey, wake up…it's mom."

The blonde teen blinked a few times, then slowly opened his eyes.  "M-mom?"

"Yes, sweetheart, it's me."

Joey groaned again, and slowly sat up, rubbing the spot in which he had been hit.  "Wha…what happened?"  He glanced over and saw Kaiba kneeling down next to him on the opposite side.  "Oh yeah…now I remember…ya sicced yer guards on me!"

Kaiba rolled his eyes.  "I did not do anything of the sort, mutt.  If I had wanted to…as you so eloquently put it…'sic my guards on you'…..I can assure you that you wouldn't be sitting here talking to me right now."

"Yeah, right,"  Joey grumbled.

"We should take you to a doctor and have you looked at. That looks pretty nasty."

"I don't need a doctor, ma!  I'm fine!"  

"She's right, you know," Kaiba agreed, "You really should see a doctor."

"Whatsamatter, Moneybags, afraid I'm gonna sue ya?"

"Are you always this annoying, Chihuahua?"

"Look, I don't need no doctor. I've had a lot worse than this, and I never saw a doctor.  This is nothin'!"

The tears that Carla Wheeler had been trying to hold back spilled over onto her cheeks.  She buried her face in her hands and began to cry softly.   Her son's eyes widened.  "Mom!  Don't cry…I'm fine!  Don't cry, mom."

"I-I'm…so s-sorry…J-joey…"

"Mom…,"  he moved to put his arms around her, but she quickly ran from the office.  

Monique seized the opportunity to mercilessly rip into Joey.   "You ought to be ashamed of yourself, young man!  Making your poor mother cry like that!  She obviously loves you very much.  And this is how you repay her?  By causing her more trouble and grief?"

"I…I ...d-didn't mean ta…"

"That poor woman!  I give her credit for even attempting to raise someone like you!  It's no wonder she had to leave you with your father.  If I were her, I would have-"

Kaiba cut into the auburn-haired woman's rant.  "Perhaps you ought to go check on Mrs. Wheeler."  

"Yes, of course.  She needs someone to comfort her, the poor thing..after all, look at what she has to deal with every day."  Monique then quickly exited the office.

Kaiba moved to help Joey up, but he swatted his hand away.  "Jus' leave me alone!"  The blonde teen jumped up and fled from the CEO's office.

*********************************************************************

Monique found Mrs. Wheeler in the bathroom down the hall, dabbing at her eyes.  "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to break down like that."

"Oh, it's all right, Mrs. Wheeler…you're doing what you do best…abandoning your son."

"Excuse me?"

"That poor boy…no wonder he's so angry!  After all, look who he had for an example.  And I just can't imagine what it feels like to have your own mother leave you!"

"It wasn't like that!  You just don't understand!"

"No, of course not," Monique replied, crossing her arms.  "I could never understand how any woman could give up her own son!"

"You don't have the slightest clue about what I've gone through," Carla shot back indignantly,  "I couldn't take Joey!  My ex-husband wouldn't let me…he just wanted to hurt me."

"And you couldn't have fought for him?"

"My ex was not an easy man to fight," she explained, "He was as stubborn as a mule.  He insisted on taking Joey.  Otherwise, he would have taken me to court.  I….I just couldn't stand a long court battle!  And I knew my daughter Serenity wouldn't be able to last with him…I didn't have a choice..and Joey knew that!"

"Did he?"

"I don't need to hear this!"  She grabbed her purse and quickly left the washroom.

Monique smiled happily to herself, her eyes flashing red as she watched her leave.

***********************************************************************

Please read and review!  Arigato!


	7. Meltdown

**Disclaimer**:  I don't own Yugioh or TBAA.  You really ought to know that by now.

**Author's Notes**:.  Hello everyone!    Hope this chapter isn't too confusing the way I've written it.  Thank you to all who reviewed so far.   Also, what happened to Joey's father is explained more in detail in LWTH.  But Joey didn't kill his father, just so you know.  What's happening to him is a combination of Monique's influence and his own guilt.  

HCG:  Very smart! You picked up on that!  Yes, it was because of Monique.  That probably will be mentioned later on.   Youkai Youko:  They will be in this story, but much later on.  Let's just say that unfortunately for our heroes, Monique is going to have a field day before they finally appear.  Besides, I love angst! 

A special thank you goes to my beta-reader, Hyatt Insomnia!  

**Warnings**:  Mild violence and language, so far.  Slight mentions of blood and gore in this chapter.

To Steal, Kill, and Destroy Chapter Seven:  Meltdown 

Joey burst into the men's washroom with tears streaming down his face.  He grasped one of the sinks with both his hands.  "Why is it that I always mess everything up?  Why can't I eva do anythin' right!?"  Monique's words had cut deeper than any knife could.  He leaned over the sink and quietly sobbed.

A few moments later, the door to the bathroom opened, and the tall CEO walked in.  "Joey, are you all right?"

The blonde wiped his eyes with his sleeve.  "I told ya ta leave me alone!"

Kaiba sighed and approached Joey.  However, he was in no mood to deal with Kaiba and his insults.  He turned and quickly ran from the washroom.  

Joey ran down the hall and pressed the button for the elevator.  He couldn't wait for it to come so he banged open the door that led to the stairway.  He ran all the way down to the first floor, and out of the massive office building.  He kept running, and ran right into the street.  A car loudly skid to a stop to avoid hitting him.  The driver angrily honked the horn and began to holler at the distressed boy.  "Hey whatsa matter with ya!?  Ain'tcha got better sense than to run out inta the middle of a busy street!?"

Joey looked at the man who was currently yelling his head off at him.  Suddenly, he turned into his father.  Half of his skull was missing, just as when he had died.  "Ya stupid punk!  This is all yer fault!  It's yer fault that I'm dead!"  His brown eyes widened and he began to back away from the car.  "No…," he whispered.

The man behind the wheel continued to honk and yell. "Hey! Ya stupid kid!  Get outta the street!"

"Ya worthless, good-for-nothing kid!  No wonder yer mom left me!  She couldn't stand ya!" 

Finally, the driver was able to cut someone off, and pull his car into the next lane.  The car behind him pulled up slightly and began to honk at Joey.  However, the blonde was horrified to find that his father was also behind the wheel of this car.  "Ya little brat!  Ya never amounted ta anythin', and ya never will!"

"Hey, kid!  Get off the damn street!"

************************************************************************

Kaiba returned to his office.  At least maybe now he could get some peace and quiet.  He could hear the sounds of honking coming from the street below.  _Hmm..it's rather early for the rush hour to be starting_, he vaguely thought to himself.  He glanced out the window, and quickly did a double take.  There was someone who looked amazingly like the puppy dog walking backwards in the street, in the lane closest to the sidewalk.   "What the..?  What the hell is does that stupid mutt think he's doing!?"  He quickly left his office.

*****************************************************************

When he reached the ground floor, Joey was still in the street blocking off traffic.  "Hey, mutt!  Don't you have enough sense to get off the street!?"  The blonde ignored him and kept staring at the cars as if they would bite him.  "I'm talking to you, dog-boy! Get on the sidewalk, you stupid mongrel!"  Kaiba swiftly walked up to Joey, grabbed him by the arm, and literally yanked him back onto the sidewalk.  "What's the matter with you?  Did your fleas get into that tiny brain of yours?"

Joey slowly turned his head and stared at the billionaire with wild, unfocused eyes.  Kaiba could see that something was indeed wrong.  His tone immediately softened.  "Joey?  Are you all right?"

But Joey couldn't see or hear Kaiba.  Instead, he saw his father…complete with a huge, bloody, gaping hole in his head.  "Ya stupid kid!  Look at ya did ta me!  Do ya see whatcha did ta me!?"

"I…I….I'm s-sorry…," Joey whispered.

"It's all right, Joey…why don't we go back inside now?"  Kaiba still had a firm grip on Joey's arm.

"Yer sorry!? Yer sorry!?  Ya think that c'n make up fer this, ya brat?  I don't care if yer sorry!  I outta smack ya from here ta kingdom come!"

"P-please…d-d-don't…."

Kaiba frowned.  "Don't what?"

"Gimme one good reason why I shouldn't, ya rotten kid!  Ya killed me!"

"P-please….D-dad…I'm s-sorry…."

"Dad?  Joey, it's me, Kaiba!"

"I toldja, I don't care if yer sorry!  You ain't nothin' but a no-good punk!  And you'll always be one!"

Kaiba shook the blonde slightly.  "Joey!  Can you hear me?  Snap out of it!"

The world began to spin around him.  His vision blurred and darkened, and he could feel himself falling.  He felt someone catch him and he could vaguely hear someone in the distance calling his name; telling him to wake up.  But he didn't want to.  He could no longer stand to be tortured by the images he saw before him.

*********************************************************************

Told ya I love angst!!  Please read and review!  Arigato!


	8. A New Arrival

**Disclaimer**:  I don't own Yugioh or TBAA.  So sorry to disappoint you.

**Author's Notes**:  Hello everyone! Thank you all for reading and reviewing!  You make my day!  Yes, the angels will be in this story, but not until later.  We must have lots of angst, torture, and general mayhem first.  Hee…Hee….A special thank you goes to my beta-reader, Hyatt Insomnia!  

**Warnings:**  Mild violence and language, so far.  

To Steal, Kill, and Destroy 

Chapter Eight:  A New Arrival 

When Joey Wheeler opened his eyes again, he found himself in his own bed at home.  Someone had removed his jacket and shoes, and a strange man was leaning over him.

"GAH!  Get away from me!"

"I see the puppy's awake."

Joey shot up.  "Hey!  What's he doin' here!?"

"Relax, honey," his mother comforted him, "He's only trying to help."

"Help do what?  Blow up the house?  Ya better check for explosives after Moneybags leaves!"

"Now, Joseph…He helped me get you home and into bed…he even got Dr. Porter here to come out and take a look at you," Carla gestured to the man that Joey found hovering over him when he woke up.

 "I toldja, I don't need no doctor!"

"Looks like the Chihuahua is back to his old yappy self."

The blonde growled at Kaiba in response.  Dr. Porter turned to Joey's mother.  "It looks like he has a slight concussion.  Just have him get plenty of bed rest today, and he should be fine.  If you'd like, I can come back then and do a follow-up."

"NO!"

Carla smiled.  "Thank you, doctor, but I don't think that will be necessary."

"Very well, then.  Here's my card, in case you change your mind."

"Thank you, doctor.  And thank you for coming out on such short notice."

After Dr.Porter exited, Joey turned to his mother.  "Ma…I know ya were worried an' all…but I toldja before, I don't need no doctor!  Ya shouldn't o' called 'im out."

"Actually, I didn't, sweetheart…your friend Kaiba did."

"Great.  He probably poisoned me."

"If I wanted to poison you, pup, you wouldn't be able to bark right now."

"Honey, do you remember what happened?"

Joey scratched the back of his head. "I remember I was in Moneybag's office….I jus' woke up..an' then…ya started bawlin' an' ran out…,"  the young duelist cast his eyes downward remembering how upset his mother had been, then shrugged, "An' that's about it."

"You don't remember anything after that?"  Kaiba asked.

"Nope.  Guess I musta passed out again, huh?"

"Yes. You did," the billionaire replied, and then turned to Mrs. Wheeler, "I should get back to Kaiba Corp. now."

"All right, then.  I'll see you out. You stay in bed, Joseph."

"Mooommm….," the blonde whined.

Mrs. Wheeler walked Kaiba down.  "I'd….like to thank you for all your help.  And thank for not telling Joey….about the incident in the street…"

"I didn't feel it was necessary."

"I do have one question for you, though…why did you hire that awful 'Louis' person?"

"It's complicated," was the only reply the CEO gave her.  He quickly walked to his limo with his white trench coat billowing out behind him.  Carla sighed and went back into the house.

**********************************************************************

She found Joey in the kitchen getting himself a glass of water.  "I thought I told you to stay in bed, young man!"

"Aw, mom," he groaned, "It's too borin' ta stay in bed!  'Sides, I was thirsty."

"Are you hungry? I could fix you something."

He shrugged.  "Yeah, a little."

"Why don't you sit down, and I'll fix you a sandwich."  She felt a bit relieved.  Joey being hungry was a good sign.

"Okay.  Thanks, mom."

She made a ham and cheese sandwich for him and set it down before him.  "Joey…I'm sorry I…haven't always been the mother that I should have been…"

"Aw, ya don't haveta apologize ta me, Mom," he replied, biting into his sandwich, "I'm the one who's sorry…fer makin' ya cry. C'n I ask ya a question?"

"Of course, sweetheart.  What is it?"

"Am I…am I…the reason that ya left?"  

Her eyes widened.  "No, sweetheart, of course not!  Where on earth would you get an idea like that?"

"Well…"

"Don't tell me, let me guess.  Your father."

"Well…I was kinda a wild kid…"

"I should have taken you with me, Joey.  But your father insisted on keeping at least one of you…you were so much tougher and stronger than Serenity…so I left you with him.  I should have fought harder for you; I know that now…but I was so tired…I just couldn't fight your father anymore…"

"Hey, it's okay.  I know dad ain't exactly the easiest person in the world ta fight with!"

"He wasn't always like that, Joey.  He was once a kind, loving, and caring man.  He had a heart of gold…and he was always so gentle."

Joey looked at her as if she'd grown antennas on her head.  "Uh…we talkin' 'bout the same guy here, Mom?"  He could use plenty of words to describe his father…none of which were the ones she had just said.

"I told you, he wasn't always like that…as a matter of fact, you remind me of him…the way the used to be."

"That's a scary thought."  Joey always promised himself he'd never be like his father.

"Life can beat people down sometimes, Joey…that's what happened to your father.  He once had a good job…but someone betrayed him in his workplace.  One of his co-workers framed him for stealing company funds."

"Maybe he wasn't framed."

"No, Joey, he didn't do it.  He wasn't like that back then.  But he fired…and to make matters worse, they leaked it out to other companies that he was a thief and not to be trusted..so, in a sense, they blacklisted him.  He had a very hard time finding another job…and it was such a blow to his pride that he couldn't support his family.  He started to lose hope…and then the drinking started….well, it was all downhill from there."

"I sure wish he wouldn't of lost hope like that."  Joey stated quietly.

"Me, too, Joey, me too," she sighed, "Well, we can't do anything about the past…so let's just try to do our best for each other now.  Deal?"

"You got it!"

She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around him.  "It's so good to have you home, son," she whispered.

He returned the hug.  "It's good being home, mom."

***************************************************************

"We oughta get somethin' like a German Sheppard….ya know, somethin' that c'n protect ya if I'm not around."

"Yeah, but who's gonna protect us from it?"

"Well, that's da thing, sis," Joey explained, "Ya train it ta sic anybody that ya want.  But it's supposed ta obey you."

"We are not getting anything of the sort, Joseph,"  his mother corrected him.

"Awwww…."

"I agree with Mom.  I don't want to come home to some dog that's bigger than I am!"

"Okay, fine.  But don't come cryin' ta me when yer in a jam, an' yer poodle ain't helping ya out!"

Mrs. Wheeler pulled in the car into the Animal Shelter's parking lot.  "Remember, Joseph this is a family decision…we all have to agree on what kind of pet we want, or we won't get anything at all."

"How 'bout a pit bull?  I hear they c'n be pretty ferocious."

"Yuck," commented Serenity.

Carla rolled her eyes as she stepped out of the car.  "We may end up doing the latter."

They all went into the shelter, and were greeted warmly by the receptionist.  She took them to the back, where all the animals were kept.  Joey and Serenity began to look around.

"Oh, look at this cute little dog, Joey!" Serenity called to her brother in delight.

"It's very rare that we get one of those in here," the shelter worker explained, "That's a Chihuahua."

"A what!??" The blonde spun around in disbelief.

Mrs. Wheeler knelt down and smiled at the tiny dog.  "Aww..I think it's kind of cute myself…what do you think, Joseph?"

Joey had a vision of himself walking down the street with the little dog…and running right into Kaiba. _"Well, what do we have here?  Two Chihuahuas out for a walk.  Is that your new girlfriend?"_

"NO!!  No way are we gettin' that thing!!  Over my dead body!!  If ya get that thing, then I'm gonna move out!  I'll live in the streets if I haveta!!"

"All right, all right, Joseph!  We get the point!  You don't have to be so dramatic about it."

They walked on past the small dog's cage.  As Joey passed by, he growled at it.  The poor thing whimpered and backed away from the obviously insane human. 

"What about this?  This is kinda cool," Joey pointed to an iguana sitting in a cage.

"Ugh!  I don't want that thing in the house!"  Serenity made a face.

"Why not?  Ya said ya didn't want somethin' that's bigger than ya."

"No, Joseph.  If you two get that, then I'll move out."

"Aw, mom…"

Things went like that for a little while longer, with none of the Wheelers agreeing on any of the animals.  It started to look like they were indeed not going to get anything.

Finally, Serenity came across a little orange and white cat.  The cat had white paws, and little flecks of white mixed in with his golden orange fur on his face.  It also had a white tip just at the end of its tail. Serenity knelt down to check it out, and the kitty immediately pressed its nose up against the wire cage and reached for her with its paw.  "Oh!  This one's really cute…could I hold it for a minute?"

"I don't see why not."  The shelter worker opened the cage door and Serenity reached in for the little kitty.  "C'mon..I won't hurt you."  She picked up the cat and began to pet it.  The cat responded by closing its eyes and purring contentedly.

"Aww….It sure is cute…it seems to have taken a liking to you, Serenity."

Serenity smiled at her mother.  "I know.  I like it, too."  She checked underneath.  "It's a boy, so we don't have to worry about it having a lot of kittens, either!  What do you say, mom?"

"Joseph?"

Joey looked at the small cat in his sister's arms.  "Eh, he's okay…but what's that thing gonna do if someone comes tries ta break in the house?  Meow 'em ta death?"

Serenity rolled her eyes.  "Stop being so paranoid.  And I thought we decided that we weren't getting a pet for protection."

The blonde crossed his arms.  "You guys decided that.  I didn't."

"So how would an iguana protect us?"

"It wouldn't.  It just looks cool."

"Yuck.  You need glasses."

Carla sighed.  "All right, you two…let's get back to the task at hand…we have to decide if we are taking this cat or not.  I have no objections, so it's up to you, Joseph."

His sister looked at him with her best puppy-dog eyes.  "Please, Joey?"

"I dunno…"

"C'mon…look how cute he is!"  She set the cat on the floor.  He immediately ran up to Joey and started rubbing against his legs.  "And look!  He likes you!"

Joey chuckled and picked the little kitty up.  He absent-mindedly began to scratch its furry head.  "So, tell me, Tiger…whatcha gonna do when the bad guys are threatenin' my sis ova there?  Ya gonna claw 'em ta death?"

"Oh!  That's a great name for him!"

"Huh?"

"Tiger!  I like that name."

"Well, Joseph, it's up to you…I won't take him if you don't want him."

Joey looked down at the little cat now purring contentedly in his arms.  "Eh…. He's okay, I guess." 

"Then it's settled.  He's now the newest member of the Wheeler family."

****************************************************************************

I just love kitties!!  I can't have one right now, so I wrote it into my story!! Hee…Hee…

Next up:  More visits from Monique…


	9. Don't Send Me Away

**Disclaimer**:  I don't own Yugioh or TBAA.  I don't know why, but I don't.

**Author's Notes**:  Hello everyone! Wow…everybody seems to like the kitty!! I didn't think people would really like it all that much…I guess there's a lot of kitty lovers out there!  Thank you to all reviewed.  Oh, and here's a little tidbit for you…I did a little word play with the name of the high school in this chapter…can anybody guess what I did?  I'll let you know next chappie. A special thank you goes to my beta-reader, Hyatt Insomnia!  

**Warnings:**  Mild violence and language, so far.  

To Steal, Kill, and Destroy 

Chapter Nine:  Don't Send Me Away 

Joey rolled over in bed, stretching as the first rays of sunlight began to peek in through the curtains.

"Meowr!"

"Huh?  Wha?"  He pushed back the covers slightly and a little furry face looked up at him.  "Hey, pal, what are ya doin' there?"

A knock came on his bedroom door, and his sister rushed in without waiting for him to answer.  "Joey, I can't find…. oh, you found him!"

The blonde teen chuckled.  "More like he found me.  I woke up and he was in my bed."

Serenity sat down on the edge of the bed and began to pet the little cat.  "What's the matter, Tiger?  Don't you like the bed we bought you?"

"Guess he likes a real bed better."

They heard the doorbell ring.  "Who the heck is that?"

"Maybe it's Yugi…aren't you supposed to get together with him today?"

"Yeah, but not this early!"

*****************************************************

Downstairs, Carla Wheeler, who was already dressed, answered the door.  She was surprised to find Monique on the other side.  "Hello, Mrs. Wheeler.  I do hope I'm not disturbing you.  I …felt that we got off on the wrong foot yesterday…. I know it's a bit early, but it was really bothering me."

"No, it's fine."

"May I come in?"

"Of course."  She gestured for Monique to come in.  She smiled and did so.

***************************************************************

Joey was getting dressed upstairs with Tiger quietly giving himself a bath on Joey's bed.  "Looks like yer gettin' ready for the day, too, huh?" Suddenly the little cat stopped and jerked his head up.  He could sense danger.  He stared at the door to Joey's bedroom as if it would bite him.  "Whatsa matter, pal?"  

"Rowr!"  Tiger suddenly jumped off the bed and scratched at the door impatiently.  "Ya wanna get out?"  Joey opened the door for him and he shot out.  "Crazy cat," Joey murmured while shaking his head.

************************************************************

Monique and Carla sat down on the couch in the living room.  "Can I get you anything?  Would you like some coffee?"

"I'm fine, thank you," responded the auburn-haired woman, "Actually, I've brought something over for you…I'm hoping it might be helpful to both you and your son."  She pulled a brochure out from her purse and handed it to Carla.  "This high school is quite famous for taking young people with…shall we say…problems…and turning them around into exceptional students.  Most of their graduates have gone on to become quite successful, working at top jobs at Fortune 500 companies all over the world.  I know some of the people that work in the admissions office there…and I'd be more than happy to put in a good word for Joseph."

Seemingly out of nowhere, Tiger sprang up on the couch and proceed to jump right on top of Monique's head, hissing and meowing.  Carla was horrified.  "NO, Tiger!  Bad kitty!!" She reached out and grabbed the cat off of the other woman's head.  Tiger hissed and bared his teeth at her.  He tried to reach out with his paw to scratch her.

Monique jumped up off the couch.  "Oh!  That horrible beast!"

"I'm so sorry!  We just got him last night…maybe he's just nervous."

"Or maybe it's got rabies.  You ought to take it back and perhaps think about getting something less dangerous."

"Perhaps he was just startled…. he seemed so friendly around the kids yesterday…"

"Well, if I had children, I certainly wouldn't take the chance on exposing them to that thing."  Tiger responded by hissing and meowing loudly.

"Tiger, hush!"  Carla scolded.

Joey came bounding down the stairs.  "Hey, whatsa matter wit' Tiger?  I c'n hear 'im all the way upstairs."

"That beast attacked me!"

"What did ya do?"

"Thank goodness, your mother got it off of me."

"No, I mean what did ya do ta make 'im attack ya?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"What did ya do ta make 'im attack ya?  I'm sure he wouldn't of attacked ya without a reason fer it."

"How dare you!  You are one seriously disturbed young man!"

"What? Jus' 'cause I asked ya what ya did?"  The blonde took Tiger from his mother.  "C'mon, he's a harmless li'l cat!  He ain't gonna hurt nobody."

Monique shook her head.  "Such a violent young man…. he even likes violent animals."

"What? Tiger?  Ya gotta be kiddin' me!"  

"Looks like I brought you this just in time," Monique commented, picking up the brochure.

"What's that?"

"It's a brochure for Ediskard Boy's High School," his mother informed him, "According to Monique, it's supposed to be a very good school."

"But I like Domino High School!  All my friends go there!"

Monique smiled evilly at him. "I see.  And I supposed if all your friends jumped off of cliff, then you would, too?"

"This ain't yer business, lady!  Stay outta it!"

"Tsk. Tsk," she turned to Carla, "Do you see what I mean?  He has absolutely no respect for his elders.  And he's so influenced by his friends…what if they decide to something really awful one night?  Rob a convenience store, rape a young girl…and Joey will be with them!  He'll go along with them just to fit in!"

"Hey!  My friends ain't like that an' neither am I!"

"I'm sure Joseph and his friends wouldn't do anything like that…they all seem like such nice kids."

Monique shook her head sadly.  "In front of you, they may act decent…but what about when you're not around?  No mother wants to believe her son would do such things…but as we all know, these things do happen.  At least just look through the brochure."

"Lemme see that!"  Joey grabbed the brochure off the table and sat down next to his mother.  He held Tiger, who would hiss at the offensive stranger every so often, with one hand in his lap and with the other he looked at the brochure.  His face began to turn pale and his chocolate brown eyes widened in horror.  "Mom…. this…this is a boardin' school!  Y-you're not gonna send me away ta a boardin' school…are ya?"

"What's going on?"  Serenity came down the stairs, having heard all the commotion.  "What did you say about a boarding school, Joey?"

"Nothin'…"  

Serenity took the brochure from her brother and began to look through it.  Her face began to take on the same shocked look as her brother.  "Please, mom," she begged, "Please don't send Joey away!  We just became a family again!" A tear ran down her cheek.  

"Now, now, no one's going anywhere," Mrs. Wheeler said soothingly, "Let me see that."

"Serenity, don't you want your brother to have the best education…the best chance in life that he can possibly get?"  Monique interjected.

"Well, yes, but…"

"I can get just as good an education at Domino as I can at that fancy schamcy school o' yours!!"

"According to this brochure, Joey would have to live on the premises in order to attend this school."

"It's only for short period time," the auburn haired woman explained, "After all, High School goes by so fast…isn't that a small price to pay for such a wonderful investment in your son's future?"  Tiger hissed again at the offensive woman.

"Mom, please…don't make Joey go there!"  Serenity was ready to burst into tears.  After all those years of separation, was her brother going to be taken away from her once again?

"I ain't goin' there…and ya can't make me!  I'll live on the streets if I haveta!"

"Now, calm down, both of you! No one is going anywhere!"  She handed the brochure back to Monique.  "I'm sorry, Monique, but I have to agree with my daughter.  We just became a family again, and I have no intention of sending my son away to school."

"Why don't you keep this…just in case you change your mind?"  Monique tried to give the pamphlet back to Carla.  

"I won't change my mind."

"Yeah, you tell her, Ma!"  Joey cheered his mother on.

"I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave now.  You're upsetting both my children."

"Yeah, an' yer upsettin' Tiger, too!  Get the hell outta here!"

"Do you see what I mean?   He has absolutely no respect for his elders. I think you're making a huge mistake."

"Please leave," Carla said firmly.  

"As you wish."  

The doorbell ran as Monique got up to leave. Carla quickly went to answer it, hoping it wouldn't be any more unwelcome visitors.  They seemed to be having more than their share lately.  Much to her relief, she found herself looking at the ever-friendly face of Yugi Motou.  

"Hi, Mrs. Wheeler! How are you doing today?"

"I'm fine, Yugi," she replied, relived to see the small teenager at her door. "Please come in."

"Thank you," Yugi said politely as he entered the Wheeler household.

Monique, who was just walking over to the door, spied Yugi…and his puzzle.  "My, but that is a rather interesting pendant you have there.   It's ancient Egyptian, isn't it?"  She knelt down to take a closer look.  "Ah, yes…the Millennium Puzzle."

Yugi was surprised.  "Are you familiar with the Millennium items?"

"You might say that."  She smiled then leaned in closer and whispered, "I'm also quite familiar with the Pharaoh whose spirit lives in the Puzzle as well."  Yugi gasped and his eyes widened.

"Monique was jus' leavin'."  Joey glared at the woman.  

"Yes, well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Yugi."  As Monique stood to get up, she whispered, "And you, too…. Yami."  She then left.

"Joey!  Who was that?"

"Ah, jus' some jerk who works fer Kaiba."

"Kaiba?  What was she doing here?"

"Causin' trouble.  Moneybags probably put 'er up ta it.  She tried ta get my mom ta send me ta some fancy boardin' school."

Yugi looked up at his friend in alarm.  "You're not going, are you?"

"No way!! Ya gotta be kiddin' me, Yug'!  I'd rather have both my eyes poked out!!"

"Why'd she want you to go to boarding school, anyway?"

"I toldja, Moneybags Kaiba probably put 'er up ta it.  He's probably laughin' his rich butt off somewhere.  Anyway, lemme go upstairs an' get my deck, an' then we c'n go."  He set his cat down on the ground.  "In the meantime, ya c'n get acquainted wit' Tiger here."

Yugi knelt down. "Well, hi there li'l fella.  How are you doing today?"

"Meow," Tiger replied, walking up to the spiky-haired teen.  Yugi started to scratch the little cat's head.  Tiger leaned into it, enjoying the attention.  

"Meow!!"  Suddenly Tiger ran from Yugi and darted underneath the couch.  "Hey little fella!  What's wrong?"  Yugi went over to the couch and looked underneath.  "C'mon out. I won't hurt you."

// I think I may have startled him, aibou. //

/ But how? /

// Animals seem to be able to sense certain things that humans cannot. //

/ Oh.  So you think he sensed you being in the Puzzle. /

// Yes, I do. //

/ What about that lady?  Do you think she sensed you, too? /

// That I do not know, aibou.  However, I did sense some type of power emanating from her.   I also felt like she was trying to block me….to keep me from sensing anything more about her.  I have a very uneasy feeling about her, aibou. //

/  Well, it is kind of weird that she about the Millennium Puzzle...And you./  

// It is indeed.//

**************************************************************

Please read and review!  Arigato!


	10. The Seeds of Doubt

**Disclaimer**:  I don't own Yugioh or TBAA.  I don't know why, but I don't.

**Author's Notes**:  Hello everyone! A couple of you were able to guess what I did with the name of the High School.  It was the "Dark Side" backwards. (Ediskard)  Hee…Hee…Luke…come to the Dark Side…

One of the reviews asked if it's okay to hate Monique…yes, that is perfectly acceptable and welcomed.

This chapter is a little shorter, but the next chapter will be longer.  It's just how the chapters ended up getting broken up.  I want the next chapter to stand out on its own.  It's a bit…um…intense.  A special thank you goes to my beta-reader, Hyatt Insomnia!  

**Warnings:**  Mild violence and language, so far.  

To Steal, Kill, and Destroy 

Chapter Ten:  The Seeds of Doubt 

Later that same evening, Monique also paid the Motou household a visit.  Having only just met the woman, he was surprised to see her at his doorstep.  She requested to speak with Yugi in private.  Despite having some misgivings, Yugi agreed to talk to her.

"What did you to want to talk to me about?"

"Yugi," she began, "You are in great danger.  Not only you, but all those that you love."

The spiky haired teen gave a gasp of fear.  Shadi had warned him about this!  "What do you mean?  Why?"

She sighed.  "This may sound strange, but I have a feeling you'll understand.  The spirit of an ancient Pharaoh resides in your Puzzle…isn't that correct, Yugi?"

"Well…actually…yes….but…how did you know?"

"I'm fascinated with ancient Egypt…and in the course of my studies, I happened to stumble across a man named Shadi…have you heard of him?"

"Yes, I have..as a matter of fact, Shadi recently paid me a visit…and he warned me that a great evil was coming to Domino City!  And now you're here telling me we're in danger…,"  Yugi's voice trailed off, upset by this turn of events.

"Yes, Yugi, you are in danger. And there is an evil in Domino City.  And that evil is..," she paused for effect, "the Pharaoh himself."

"Excuse me?"

Monique lowered her voice.  "I know he can hear us.  But I just couldn't stand back and watch him try to destroy everything again.  I realize I'm taking a great chance in telling you all of this, but I just had to warn you!"

"What do you mean, 'destroy everything again'?  Yami once saved the world!"

"Is that what he told you?"

"Well…no….someone else did…Yami really doesn't remember a lot about his past."

"Thank goodness for that!  Don't you realize what will happen once he does recover all of his memories?"

"Um…I'm not really sure."

"He'll remember all of his wicked and evil plans…and he will once again try to take over the world!"

"But…I thought he saved the world!"

"No, Yugi.  The priests…they tried to stop him…that's how he ended up getting sealed in the Puzzle.  They weren't powerful enough to destroy him.  However, they did manage to seal him away…until now."

"That can't be true!  Yami sealed the magic of the Shadow Games in the Millennium items because they threatened to destroy the world!  He sacrificed himself!"

Monique shook her head sadly.  "That's what he wants you to believe.  But it's not true.  Do you really think an Egyptian Pharaoh would willingly sacrifice himself when he could easily find someone else to be sacrificed instead?"

"But why would this person lie to me?  Why would she have said that Yami saved the world if he didn't?"

"Perhaps she didn't.  After all, Yami was a master at Shadow Magic.  Perhaps he planted a false memory in people's minds."

"A false memory?"

"Yes, instead of the real one."

Suddenly there was a flash of light emanating from the Puzzle.  Yami Yugi stood  and faced Monique.  "I've heard enough.  I don't know what you're hoping to gain from this…but ever since you walked in the room, I have felt a strong sense of evil.  I have tried to ignore it, thinking that perhaps it was only because you were speaking negatively of me that I felt this way.  But I see now that is not the case.  This feeling of evil only grows stronger every minute you are here.  So I must now ask you to leave."

She smiled at him.  "Ah…the infamous Pharaoh.  Of course you would say something like that.  You have to protect yourself."

Yami glared at her.  "I am protecting Yugi."

"Are you?  Are you really?"

"Leave.  Now."

"As you wish.  But before I do, I have something to say to Yugi.  I know he can hear me."  She rose to leave.  "Tell me, has there ever been a time when the Pharaoh went against your wishes?  When he was willing to sacrifice another….just to get what he wanted?"

Yami said nothing.  He clenched his fists and growled at her.

Monique smiled again, knowing she had struck a nerve.  "Think about it, Yugi."  And she happily left, knowing that she had accomplished planting the seeds of doubt in the minds of Yugi and Yami.

After she had gone, Yugi's mind wandered back in time to Duelist Kingdom.  He thought about that awful duel he had with Kaiba at Pegasus' castle, and how his Yami had given the order to attack….knowing full well that he would be risking Kaiba's life to do so.  A shiver ran down his spine as he dwelled upon that horrible memory.  He had tried to tell Yami not to attack, but Yami had insisted and gave the order anyway.  

/Yami, please say something…tell me all those things she said aren't true! /

Silence.

/ Yami? /

More silence.

/ Yami, please!  You're scaring me…say something! Anything! /

// I can neither confirm nor deny what she said, aibou.  I don't remember much of my past.  //

/ I can't believe that…I won't believe it!  You're not evil! You saved the world; I just know you did! /

// I hope you're right, aibou. //

Yugi paused for a second.  / I believe in you, Yami. /

// Thank you, Yugi. //

**********************************************************

Please read and review! Arigato!


	11. The Evil Pharaoh

**Disclaimer**:  I don't own Yugioh or TBAA.  But if the owners would like to hand it over to me, I will accept it gladly.

**Author's Notes**:  It goes to eleven.  Because it's one more.  (If you haven't watched Spinal Tap, you won't get that joke, so don't worry about it.)  Major blood, guts, and gore warning here!!  And Character Death.  This chapter is actually based on a rumor I heard that Yami's going to turn all evil once he gets his memory back.  I don't think that's actually going to happen in the series…but I thought, well, this could be kind of interesting to write.  (Yes, I'm a little bit of a sickie sometimes.)  A special thank you goes to my beta-reader, Hyatt Insomnia!  

**Warnings:**  Mild violence and language, so far. 

To Steal, Kill, and Destroy 

Chapter Eleven:  The Evil Pharaoh 

Yugi awoke to find himself in his soul room.  He vaguely wondered how he'd gotten there as he walked over to the door.  He tugged at the handle, but it refused to budge.

/ Yami? /

No answer.

/ Yami?  What's going on?  Why am I stuck in my soul room? /

// You'll find out soon enough.  Just stay there and be quiet. // Yami's voice seemed colder than usual.

From his soul room, Yugi could see that Yami was approaching Domino High School.  The kids were all piling in through the doors, as the bell had just rung.  His darker half had control of his body and was dressed in his uniform. 

/ Yami?  Why are you going to school for me? /  

The spirit didn't answer him.  He walked purposefully down the halls of the building until he spied the person who he was looking for.  

"Good morning, Yugi!"  Bakura called cheerfully as the Game King approached him.  "How are you doing today?"

"My friend, please forgive me for what I am about to do.  I am truly sorry."

"Yugi?  Is there something wrong?"

"Yes, there is indeed.  You house the spirit of the Tomb Robber, Bakura.  And that is why you must die."  Yami quickly pulled a huge butcher knife from underneath his uniform.  Before Bakura even had time to react, the former Pharaoh plunged the knife deep in his chest.  He let out a scream of pain.

/ YAMI!!  WHAT ARE YOU DOING??  STOP!! /  Yugi pulled desperately at the door to his soul room as his other half pulled the knife out of Bakura's chest and plunged it back in again.  By this time, the hallway had erupted into chaos with students screaming and literally running for their lives.  Yami once again pulled the knife out and stood over the white haired boy's fallen form.  

"DIE!!!"  Screamed the crazed Pharaoh as he plunged the knife for a final time in the boy's chest.  

/ YAMI!! STOP!!  WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!??  YAMI!!! /

Yami gave no indication of hearing Yugi's screams.  He simply pulled a handkerchief out and calmly began to wipe Bakura's blood off his knife.

 A familiar voice rang through the air.  "YUGI!!  BAKURA!!"  

Yami turned around and smiled.  "Tristan!  I am glad to see you, my friend.  I have good news for you."

"What are ya talkin' about, man!?  Bakura," he stared in horror as he knelt down beside the bloodied form of his friend.

"Is no more. Don't trouble yourself any further with him."

"How can you say that, Yugi!?  He's our friend!"

"He isn't our friend, Tristan.  He houses the spirit of the Tomb Robber."

Tristan stood up.  "That isn't his fault!"

"Yes, it's unfortunate, I know.  But sometimes sacrifices like this need to be made."

"Yugi, what the heck is wrong with you??  You don't know what you're saying!!"

"Come, let us talk about more pleasant things.  A new day is dawning, my friend."

"What the heck are you talkin' about?  You're not making any sense!!"

"The time has come for me to take my rightful place as the Pharaoh once again.  And you, my friend," Yami put his hand on Tristan's shoulders, "I want you to be part of my Royal Cabinet!"

"Yugi…you don't know what you're saying…you need help."

"Yes, I know this is a shock.  I know it's a huge responsibility, but I have faith in you, Tristan.  I know you can do this."

Tristan pushed Yami's hands off his shoulders.  "You need help, Yugi.  You need to see a doctor."

Yami's eyes widened, then narrowed in anger.  "Do you mean to tell me you're turning me down?"

"You need a doctor, Yugi."  Tristan repeated.

"No.  I don't," Yami held out his hand and hit Tristan with a blast of Shadow Magic that knocked him clear across the hallway.  "But you will, when I'm through with you!!"

/ YAMI!! DON'T!!  STOP!! PLEASE STOP!! /

Yami lunged at Tristan with the knife poised high above his head.  "DIE, YOU TRAITOR!!"  Tristan, who was still recovering from the magic blast, didn't even have a chance to react.

/ YAMI!! STOP!! YAMI!! /

The Pharaoh ignored his hikari's pleas, pulling the knife out of Tristan and plunging it into him again and again.  He then stopped and looked down at himself.  "Ugh.  His filthy blood got on my clothes."  He calmly pulled out the handkerchief again to clean off his knife. "Hmm…looks like I could use a new handkerchief, too…"

/ YAMI!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?? /

"YUGI!! BAKURA!! TRISTAN!!"   Once again a familiar voice rang through the air.  Joey ran towards Yami, with Tea right behind him.  The two teens stopped and gasped in horror, staring at the blood-soaked hallway and the bodies of their two fallen friends.

Yami smiled.  "Joey! Tea!  It's good to see you, my friends."

"What happened here?"  Tea whispered.  Joey ran over to check on Bakura.  Tears began to flow down his cheeks.  He knew in his heart that he wouldn't find a pulse.  He slowly stood up and walked over to Tristan.  He looked down at the body of his friend.  He couldn't bring himself to confirm what he already knew.

Yami put a hand on Joey's shoulder.  "Don't worry about it, Joey.  They will trouble us no more."

"What the hell are ya talkin' 'bout, Yug'?  They were our friends!"

"No, Joey, they weren't.  Bakura housed the spirit of the Tomb Robber.  And as for Tristan…he betrayed me.  He betrayed us."

"Yer not makin' any sense!  How did Tristan betray us?  He's one of my best friends!"

"Believe me, I was just as shocked as you are.  But enough of this," Yami waved his hand as though to dismiss the matter,  "We must move forward.  We have more important things to discuss."

"More important things??  What could be more important than this?"

"The time has come for me to reclaim my rightful throne as Pharaoh.  And I want you, Joey, to be my second in command.  To help me rule over the entire land!"  He turned to Tea.  "And I haven't forgotten about you, either, Tea."  He walked over to her, kissed her hand, and pulled her close.  "I want you, Tea, to be my queen.  To be by my side as I begin my reign!"

Tea stared at him with wide eyes.  "Y-yugi…"

"I know, my dear.  It's quite a shock. Out of all the women I could have in the world, I have chosen you."  He extended his arm out to Joey.  "Come!  We must celebrate!"

"CELEBRATE!?  Yug', have ya lost yer mind?  Our friends are DEAD!!"

Yami frowned at him.  "I have already told you, they weren't our friends.  Now come, we have much to do.  We need to put this unpleasant incident behind us."

"Unpleasant incident!?  Is that what you call our friends gettin' offed!?  An unpleasant incident!?"

"Well, I certainly wouldn't call it a pleasant incident."  Yami shook his head at him.  "Tsk. Tsk.  You know, you really are getting too soft, Joey.  You're going to need to toughen up as my second in command."

Joey clutched his head in his hands.  "Yug'…yer not makin' any sense…I dunno what's wrong witcha…maybe it's the shock….I dunno…"

"Be careful of what you're saying, Joey.  You're starting to sound like Tristan did before I had to kill him."

The blonde teen lifted his head and stared at Yami wide-eyed.  He hadn't wanted to believe it; he hadn't wanted to believe that his best friend could be capable of such a thing.  "Oh man…Yug'…ya need help…you've flipped or somethin', man…ya need help…"

Yami narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.  "What are you saying, Joey? Are you saying you won't be my second in command?  Are you turning me down?"

"Yug'…man…ya know I'm yer friend…but…ya don't know what yer sayin'!  This isn't you, man!"

"So…you too."

/ Yami, please don't do anything!! /

"I'll help ya, Yug'…I know ya didn't mean ta do this…."

"Really?  Is that so?"

Joey nodded, tears streaming down his face.

/ Yami, please, please don't hurt them!  I'm begging you, please! /

For an eerie moment, it was silent.  Then…

Yami quickly drew the knife from his jacket and threw it at the blonde.  Joey screamed in unbearable pain as the blade pierced through him and pinned him to the wall behind him.  Tea screamed as well.

/ YAMI!!  NOOOOO!! /

The Pharaoh approached Joey.  The dying teen struggled to speak.  "Y-y-you…w-were…m-m-my…f-friend…"

"Apparently you weren't mine or you wouldn't be a dead man right now," Yami replied coldly.  

/ No…Joey…/ From inside his soul room, Yugi began to sob as he watched his best friend close his eyes for the last time.  Those harsh words would be the last Joey would ever hear from him.  Even though he hadn't really said it, it was still his body. Yami pulled the knife from Joey's body and watched it fall to the floor.

Tea realized too late that she needed to get out of there.  She tried to run, but the Pharaoh caught her.   "Oh no, you don't!  And what about you?  Will you dare to turn me down as well?"

/ NO!!  YAMI DON'T!! /

"Y-y-yugi," Tea sobbed.

"Well?  I'm waiting for your answer."

/ YAMI, PLEASE!! /

"Y-yugi," Tea sobbed, "P-please let me g-go!"

"WRONG ANSWER!"  Yami cried.  He proceeded to slit Tea's throat with the knife.  "Ungrateful wench!"

Inside his soul room, Yugi sobbed uncontrollably.  If only he had listened to the warnings that had been given him!  Now it was too late.  

Suddenly, Yami appeared next to him in his soul room, looking extremely angry.  "Stop that pathetic crying," he hissed, "You're just lucky that I still need your body, otherwise I'd gladly kill you right now just to stop your whiny little voice in my head.  Now…BE QUIET!!!"

**************************************************************

THE END

LOL!  Just kidding!!  I couldn't resist!  (Toldja I could be a sickie!)

Don't get scared away by this chapter…it isn't really the end…yet…Hee…Hee…

Please read and review!  Arigato!


	12. Shadow Games

**Disclaimer**:  I don't own Yugioh or TBAA.  But if the owners would like to hand it over to me, I will accept it gladly.

**Author's Notes**: Hi all! Have you all recovered from the last chappie yet?  Some of you guessed what that was.  So now that I have traumatized you all, we can get on with the ficcie.  A special thank you goes to my beta-reader, Hyatt Insomnia!  

**Warnings:**  Mild violence and language, so far. 

To Steal, Kill, and Destroy 

Chapter Twelve:  Shadow Games 

 "AHH!"  Yugi awoke with a start.  Panting, he looked wildly around his room.  Yami appeared next to his bed in his false form.  "Yugi," he began as he stretched his arms out to him.  

Yugi involuntarily jumped at the sight of the Pharaoh.  He scooted over on the bed, away from Yami.  

Yami stopped moving forward when he saw Yugi's reaction to him.  "Yugi…aibou," he said gently.  "It was a dream.  Just a horrible nightmare, that's all.  It wasn't real."  From inside the Puzzle, Yami had watched the horror unfold before him as well.  He found himself unable to stop it.  He didn't know what had brought it on, but he knew some sort of evil force was behind it.  

"But it could happen. It could have been real," a female voice said. Yami looked up to find Monique standing on the opposite side of Yugi's bed.  "You," he hissed and narrowed his eyes. 

Monique just smiled and sat down on the bed beside Yugi.  "It could happen.  Are you willing to take that chance?"

Yami's crimson eyes blazed with anger.  He knew she was somehow the one behind Yugi's nightmare.  How dare she torture his lighter half!!  He clenched his fists. "Leave here now or I'll send you to the Shadow Realm where you belong!"

"Y-yami?"  Yugi whispered in a frightened voice.

Monique's smile became wider.  "You see?  Even now, it starts."

"BE QUIET!!"

"AAHH!"  Yugi covered his ears with his hands and squeezed his eyes shut.  He pulled his knees up to his chest.

Monique couldn't help but chuckle.  "You see?  He yells at you…just as he did in your dream."

Yami growled.  "I was speaking to you, not Yugi.  Do you honestly think that he will believe you?"

"He's unstable.  You can't trust him."  Monique whispered in Yugi's ear.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!!"  

"AAAHHH!"  Yugi jumped.

A knock came on the door.  "Yugi? Are you alright?"  Solomon stuck his head in the doorway.

The spiky haired teen managed a fake smile.  'I…I'm f-fine, Grandpa.  J-just had a b-bad dream."

"Well…if you're sure you're okay…."

"Yes, I'm fine."  Yugi forced his voice to be steady.  He didn't want his Grandpa to be in danger.

"All right, then.  Hurry or you'll be late for school."

"Yes, Grandpa."  After Solomon had closed the door, Yugi breathed a sigh of relief.  He looked cautiously up at his Yami, fear mixed with sadness evident in his eyes.

As his darker half looked at him, he began to realize something.  "He can't see you…can he?"

Monique whispered once again in Yugi's ear.  "What if he had hurt your Grandfather just now?  Do you want to take that chance?"

"Yugi…you must listen to me.  I know that you cannot see her but believe me: there is another presence in this room.  Monique is here."

"M-monique?"  

"Yes, Yugi.  Monique is here.  She is the one who gave you that nightmare."

The evil woman chuckled.  "He would say anything to protect himself.  He's lying."

"Don't listen to her, aibou!"

"You don't see anyone else but the Pharaoh.  How do you know if what he says is true?  Can your really trust anything he says?"

"He can certainly trust me more than he can trust you."

"Aahh!  I'm so confused!"  Yugi cried, putting his hands over his ears once more.  Suddenly, he jumped off the bed.  "I have to get ready for school!!"  He scampered over to the bathroom.

Yami glared at Monique.  The Puzzle began to glow in his anger.  "You will pay for what you have done."  He held out his hand and sent her a blast of Shadow Magic.  Monique simply faked a yawn as the Magic bounced off of an invisible wall right back at Yami.  He grunted as he was knocked into the wall by his own blast and fell to the floor.  "Sorry, Pharaoh, but your parlor tricks don't work on me."

Yami sat up and looked at her with wide eyes.  That had never happened to him before!  "Who are you?  _What_ are you?"

She chuckled once more.  "Come now, Pharaoh…can't you guess?"

Yami slowly stood up.  "You're definitely not human."

"Hmm…well, you're on the right track.  Come on, Pharaoh…you can do it."

Yami stared at her with wide eyes.  What exactly were they up against?

"I'll give you a hint…what is the opposite of an angel?"

"A demon," the Game King whispered.

She smiled broadly.  "Well, give that ancient Egyptian spirit a prize! Yes, I am a demon, she-devil, not-so-nice thing, hateful hottie…. do you like that one?  I made it up myself."

He growled at her.  "You're a despicable creature."

She smiled broadly.  "Why, thank you!  I consider that quite a high compliment, especially coming from you, Pharaoh."

"You won't succeed with whatever evil plans you have in mind.  I will personally make sure of that."

Monique laughed heartily.  "Really, Pharaoh?  And what do you plan to do to stop me?  Challenge me to a duel?"

Yami crossed his arms and glared at her.  "If that is what it takes to get rid of you.  I will be more than happy to duel you.  Name the time and place."

She rolled her eyes.  "Honestly, Pharaoh, do you really think I'm that stupid?  Thank you, but I'm having way too much fun playing my own game."

"And what game would that be?"

"Watch and weep, my dear Pharaoh.   Watch and weep."

"You won't get away with this."

Yugi came back into his bedroom, fully clothed and ready for school.  He gave a frightened, cautious look to his Yami, who still looked very angry.  The small teen silently went to his backpack and picked it up.  He walked over to his bed, where his Puzzle was hanging from the bedpost.  He hesitantly grasped it in his hands.

"You don't want to take the Puzzle with you, Yugi," the evil she-devil advised, "After all, you don't want all that happened in your dream to happen in real life…do you?"

"Don't listen to her, aibou."

"Who?"  Yugi asked softly.

"Monique.  I know you can't see her, but somehow you can hear her.  She's dangerous, Yugi.  Don't listen to anything she has to say."

"Ah, yes, the Pharaoh would say anything to protect himself.  How do you know there's anyone else here?  You can't see anyone."

Yugi bit his lower lip thoughtfully.  "But, Yami…I don't see anyone else here but you and I."

"I know, Yugi.  You'll have to trust me on this."

"Do you really want to run that risk?  You've been wrong before.  What if you're wrong now?  Do you want all your friends to die?  And your grandfather as well?"

"She's lying, aibou.  Don't listen to her."

Poor Yugi was so confused.  He wanted to believe in Yami…but was it worth putting his friends' lives in danger if he was wrong?  There had been so many times he had been willing to trust someone, only to be let down in the end.  Still, he always wanted to believe the best of everyone.  But the lives of his grandfather and friends hung in the balance.  He slowly walked over to his dresser and pulled out the golden box the Puzzle had come in.  

Yami's eyes widened.  "Yugi…"

"We…we'll talk about it later…when I get home from school," he wiped a tear that had started to fall from his eye, "I have to go now or I'll be late!"  The tri-colored boy quickly placed the Puzzle in the box and closed it.  He quickly dashed out the door, slamming it behind him.

"Yugi, wait!"  Yami tried to go after him, but found that he could not go through the door as he usually did in his false form.  He then tried opening the door and found that it was locked.  The Game King pulled angrily at the knob, but it wouldn't budge.  He whirled around to face the she-devil.  "Let me out of here at once!"

Monique simply smiled and walked over to the Millennium Puzzle's box.  "I don't think so, Pharaoh."  She casually opened the box and took out the Puzzle.  

"That doesn't belong to you!"  He tried to reach out and grab her, but his hands went right through her.

She chuckled.  "Oh, I've never let little details like that stop me before.  So, what you think, Pharaoh?   Am I good at my game or am I good at my game?"

Yami growled at her with his fists clenched.  "I won't let you get away with this!  I will find a way to defeat you!"

"Yes, yes, I've heard that all before.  Now, why don't you be a good little Pharaoh, and get back in the Puzzle, hm?"

The crimson-eyed spirit felt himself being drawn towards the Puzzle.  He tried in vain to resist its magnetic pull.  Slowly, but surely, he was pulled closer and closer until he finally disappeared into the golden upside down pyramid once more.

***************************************************************

Well, now you all know what Monique is.  

For all you Ryou and Yami Bakura fans out there, they are coming up next!  I finally got 'em in my story!  

Please read and review!  Arigato!


	13. The Puzzle, the Ring, and an Eye

**Disclaimer**:  I don't own Yugioh or TBAA.  I'm so depressed.

**Author's Notes**: Hi all! Sorry for the long wait. Been busy and stuff…you know how it goes.  Anyway, finally got Yami Bakura and Ryou in the fic! Kaiba and Joey will be back, too, it's just that this part of the fic sort of centers on the two Yamis and their lights. Just the way the story is going.  A special thank you goes to my beta-reader, Hyatt Insomnia!  

**Warnings:**  Mild violence and language, so far. 

To Steal, Kill, and Destroy 

Chapter Thirteen:  The Puzzle, the Ring, and an Eye 

In a different house, there was another young boy getting ready to go to school, also.  A strange woman appearing in his room seemingly out of nowhere startled him.  "Oh my!  Who are you?"

"I've come here to speak to Bakura."

"I'm Bakura.  What is it that you want?"

Monique rolled her eyes.  "Not you.  I'm talking about Bakura the Tomb Robber.  The self-proclaimed King of Thieves."

Ryou blinked.  "I beg your pardon?"

The auburn haired demon sighed.  "Just tell him that I have something that I think he'll be quite interested in."  She held up the Millennium Puzzle.

Suddenly there was a flash of light coming from the Ring that Bakura always wore around his neck.  

"The Millennium Puzzle!  How did you get that?"  

Monique smiled and her eyes lit up.  "Ah, the King of Thieves, I presume."

"You presume correctly," Yami Bakura replied, crossing his arms, "Now tell me why you're here and how you got your hands on the Puzzle."

"It's really not important how I got it.  The important thing is that I want to give it to you."

"I see.  And you're just going to hand it over to me, just like that?"

"Well, not exactly…there is something I would like in return."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Now, now, Tomb Robber…you of all people should know that nothing ever comes without a price."

"Very well, then…name yours."

"Do you know where the Turtle Game Shop is?

"Where the midget Pharaoh's light lives?  What about it?"

"Meet me in the back of the Game Shop at midnight if you want the Puzzle."  And with that, she vanished.

Yami Bakura chuckled.  "Well, well.  This should be most…_interesting_."

**********************************************************************

The white-haired thief leaned against the back wall of the Game Shop waiting for the mysterious stranger to arrive with the Puzzle.  He couldn't figure out how she had gotten it, but as long as she was willing to give it to him, he could care less. Precisely at midnight, she appeared at the other end of the alley.  "Ah, Bakura.  So you decided to show up."

"Why wouldn't I?  After all, you have something I want."

She smiled and walked towards him.  "Yes, I do.  But forget…I want something in return."

"And what would that be?"

"Your ring."

Yami Bakura threw his head back and laughed.  "My ring?  And pray tell, exactly why would I give you my ring?"

"Because if you don't, I'm going to take it from you."

"Really?  I'm afraid that you'll find taking the ring from me won't be as easy as taking the Puzzle from the tiny Pharaoh."  His ring began to glow.

"Hmm…it is going to be harder than…oh, let's say…taking this?"  She held up the golden Millennium Eye in her right hand between her thumb and forefinger.

The ancient thief's eyes widened and his hand went instinctively to his back pocket.  He'd taken the eye with him, just in case he should have need to call upon it.  

This action didn't go unnoticed by Monique.  "Sorry it's not there, Tomb Robber."

Yami Bakura glared at her.  "How did you get that?"

"Oh, I have my ways," she replied, pulling out the Puzzle.  "Now then, you want this?  Here, catch."  And with that, she flung the Puzzle at him.

"YOU FOOL!"  The Tomb Robber lunged forward to catch the Puzzle.  If it was broken, the only person who was able to put it back to together again was Yugi Motou.  Somehow he didn't think it would work to go up to the Pharaoh's little light and say, _"Excuse me, but could you put this Puzzle back together again so that I can claim possession of it? "  _He managed to grab it before it hit the ground.  "You idiot," he hissed at Monique, "Don't you know that the Pharaoh's pathetic little light is the only one who can put the Puzzle together?"

She smiled and walked towards him.  "Well, I wasn't really worried about it.  I knew you would catch it.  Your greed is one of the things I love the most about you.  I think I'm actually going to miss you."  She held up her hand and showed him the Millennium Ring.

Yami Bakura gasped and looked down at himself.  Sure enough, he was no longer wearing the Ring.  "Th-that's impossible!!"

"Do be a good little Tomb Robber and get back in the Ring, hm?"  

He felt himself being pulled towards the Ring, just as Yami Yugi had been pulled towards the Puzzle.  He fought as hard as he could to keep from being drawn into it.

"I will come back and make you pay!  That's a promise," the white-haired thief spat out though gritted teeth.

"Honestly, can't anyone come up with more original lines?  Now get into the Ring."

As Yami Bakura's spirit was pulled into the Ring, he dropped the Puzzle.  Monique caught it and promptly disappeared, leaving a very confused Ryou Bakura standing  behind the Game Shop.

**********************************************************************

You know the drill!  Please read and review!  Arigato!


	14. Escape From the Shadows

**Disclaimer**:  I don't own Yugioh or TBAA.  Haven't you figured that out by now?

**Author's Notes**: Hi all! Sorry for the long wait. Been busy and stuff…you know how it goes.  

To Silver Dragon:  Yes, Yugi did notice the Puzzle is gone, as you will find out in this chapter.   And to the rest of my reviewers who are asking me what Monique is going to do with the items: I'll let you in on a little secret…she's not going to do anything with them at all! She's just stealing them to cause everyone more suffering and pain.  And by stealing them, she was able to trap the two Yamis in the Shadow Realm.  She was able to steal them in the first place because she already has power...so she really doesn't need the power from the Millennium items. Yes, kids, she is EVIL….A special thank you goes to my beta-reader, Hyatt Insomnia!  

**Warnings:**  Mild violence and language, so far. 

To Steal, Kill, and Destroy 

Chapter Fourteen: Escape From the Shadows 

Yugi Motou lay awake on his bed, tears silently streaming down his face.  He'd just felt terrible at school all day.  Something just didn't feel right, not wearing his Puzzle…or having Yami beside him.  He practically ran all the way from school.

The spiky haired teen rushed upstairs to his bedroom the instant he had arrived home.  "Yami!  Oh, Yami, I'm so sorry I didn't take you with me today!  Please forgive," he stopped short as he lifted the lid to the golden box.  It was empty.  "Yami?"  

He rushed downstairs.  "Grandpa!  Grandpa!"

"Yugi!  What's all the shouting about?"  The elder Motou called back from behind the counter.

"Grandpa, did you happen to take the Millennium Puzzle out of its box?"

"No, of course not, Yugi.  Why didn't you wear it today?  You always wear it."

"I know, but….I…um…just felt like doing something different."

Solomon knew his grandson wasn't telling him the whole truth, but he let it go.  "Well, I've been tending the shop all day.  I haven't even been in your bedroom."

Yugi had looked everywhere for his beloved Puzzle, but to no avail.  He had finally come to the sad conclusion that Yami must have left on his own.  Not that Yugi could blame him.  After all they had been through together, he was ready to lose faith in him because of one stupid little nightmare.  But it had seemed so real!  Still, Yugi finally realized that was all it was…just a nightmare.  And because of it, he probably had lost his Yami forever.  He sobbed quietly.  "He must feel like I betrayed him. I wouldn't stay with me, either."

Suddenly, there was a soft knock at the door.  Yugi lifted his head up and blinked. "Yami?"  He heard someone knocking again.  

The small teen jumped out of bed, throwing the covers back.  He knew the ancient spirit didn't have to knock to gain entrance to the house.  But he still hoped against hope that it would be his Yami.  He yanked the door open.  "Bakura??  What are you doing here at this time of night?"

"I'm terribly sorry to bother you, Yugi," the soft-spoken teen began, "but something's happened, and I really need to talk to someone about it.  May I come in?"

"Of course!"  Yugi quickly ushered his friend in.  "Are you all right?"

"Um…I think so."

Yugi frowned.  "What do you mean?"

"Well, a few moments ago, I found myself in the back of your shop.  I've no idea how I got there, or how long I've even been there."

"Hmmm…sounds like your Yami is up to his old tricks."

"Most likely.  But there's something else…it's actually quite…well, disturbing…"

"What?"

"After I realized where I was, I also realized that my Millennium Ring was gone as well.  Not only that, but so is…my Yami."

Yugi gave a gasp and his eyes widened.  "Bakura, are you sure of that?"

"Yes, I'm quite sure.  Even the times when he wouldn't talk to me, I could always sense him.  But now, it's like he's….just not there.  He's gone!"

Yugi just stared at his white haired friend for a moment.    He was sure that Yami that left on his own.  But if Bakura's Yami was missing also…

"Yugi….y-you do have your Puzzle, don't you?"

Ryou's sudden question snapped Yugi back to reality.  "What makes you say that?"

"Well…something else happened this morning that was…er, well…rather strange."

"What?"

"I was getting ready for school, and all of a sudden there was this woman in my room!  She said she had come to talk to my Yami.  I thought she had held up what looked like the Sennen Puzzle.  But I don't remember anything else after that.  It was all so fast.  I…I just wasn't sure."

Yugi's eyes widened.  "Th-this woman…did she have auburn hair, tied up in a bun?"

"Yes, and she appeared to be in her mid to late thirties.  She was wearing a black business suit…Yugi, do you know who she is?"

"Monique," the small teen whispered.  He remembered his Yami telling him that she was there…why hadn't he listened?  Realization hit him hard and fast.  Monique was the evil he'd been warned about.  But he'd missed it.  Now it was too late.  His shoulders slumped and he stared at the floor.

"Yugi?  Are you all right?"  Ryou was concerned for his friend.

"No," he replied, tears welling up in his eyes for what seemed to be the hundredth time that night, " My Yami's gone, too…and it's all my fault."

****************************************************************

Yami Bakura stalked about angrily in the Shadow Realm.  He didn't know how long he'd been walking.  All he knew was that he was going to find out a way out somehow.  And then he'd make that she-devil pay.  No one made a fool out of him.  

In the distance, he thought he saw a figure sitting down on what would be loosely termed the floor of the Shadow Realm. It didn't really have a floor or ceiling, or up and down…it was just _there_.  As he moved closer, he began to recognize the figure, and smirked.  "Well, well," he remarked to himself, "Perhaps my time here won't be quite so boring after all."  He approached the figure.  "Hello, Pharaoh.  And what brings you to the Shadow Realm on this fine evening?  Or it is day?  One can never really tell in here."

Yami glared up at the white haired thief.  "Go away, Tomb Robber.  I am in no mood for your antics."

Yami Bakura smirked even more.  "Well, we may as well make the best of it…seeing as how we may only have each other for company for a while."

"Then this isn't the Shadow Realm," the other spirit replied, standing up.  "This is Hell."

The tomb robber mockingly placed his hands over his heart.  "Why, Pharaoh…I'm crushed!"

"Good," Yami Yugi replied.  He turned on his heel and began to walk away and the other trailed behind to taunt him further.

"So, you still haven't told me how you ended up here."

Yami Yugi didn't reply.  He just kept walking; glaring straight ahead of him.

"Did it have anything to do with the she-devil?"

That got his attention.  He whirled around.  "What do you know about her?"

"Ah," the white-haired spirit smiled, "I seem to have struck a nerve."

Yami Yugi crossed his arms and glared at him.  "Either say something useful or don't say anything at all."

"Oooooh…Touchy, touchy, aren't we?"

The other spirit growled in response. Yami Bakura squinted at something.  "Hmm…I wonder what that is?"  He pointed to the area behind Yami Yugi.

"I'm not falling for any of your tricks, Bakura," the ex-Pharaoh informed him.

"It's not a trick, you fool!  Look for yourself!"

The spiky haired spirit refused to turn around at first.  From the corner of his eye, he thought he spied some sort of light coming from behind him.  _A light?  In the Shadow Realm?  But that's impossible!_  He finally turned his head, and gasped softly.  Indeed there was a light.  It kept getting closer and closer until finally both Yamis had to shield their eyes from the brightness.  

"Don't be afraid," a soft voice said to them.  They both looked up to find they were surrounded by light.  Standing in front of them was what appeared to be a young girl.  She had black hair pulled up in a ponytail and bright blue eyes.  She was dressed in a long white gown.  Yami's eyes widened.  He recognized the girl to be an angel.  He'd first met her after Joey had gotten shot.  Somehow she had pulled him out of the Puzzle to try to help her to convince Joey to live.  He'd seen her a few times after that, also.

"Hannah," Bakura growled.

"Hello, Bakura," the little angel smiled back at him.

"Wait.  You know her?"

"And what if I do, Pharaoh?"

"How do you know her?"

"That is none of your concern."

"I've seen her before, too."

Yami Bakura smirked.  "Oh, really?  And what did you do to make her appear to you, Pharaoh?  Not walk a little old lady across the street, perhaps?"

Now it was Yami Yugi's turn to smirk.  "That is none of _your_ concern."

"All right you two, that's enough," the dark haired angel scolded, "You'll both need to work together if you want to get out of the Shadow Realm."

"You can get us out?"  Yami Yugi's eyes widened.

She smiled back.  "Of course I can!  That's what I'm here for."

Yami Bakura chuckled.  "I never thought I'd actually be happy to see you, Hannah."

"Hannah?"  Yami Yugi asked, "Is that your name?"

The tomb robber cut in. "No, I just go around calling every angel I happen to see Hannah.  Of course it's her name, you idiot!!"

Yami growled.  "How do you know her name?"

"I asked her."

"Oh," he replied, a slight blush coming over his cheeks.  Unfortunately, this didn't escape Yami Bakura's notice.

"Don't tell me that the great, all-powerful Pharaoh of Egypt met an angel and never even bothered to get her name!"  He threw his head back and laughed insanely.  Yami just growled again in response.

"I said that was enough!  Unless you both want to be left in the Shadow Realm!"  Hannah put her hands on her hips.

Yami Bakura immediately stopped laughing.  He certainly didn't want to get stuck there.  

"I am going to bring you both out of the Shadow Realm for a purpose…to help defeat Monique.  You are each going to be given a body of your own."

The ancient Pharaoh gasped.  "You mean…a real, physical body?"

"Yes," the angel replied, "A real physical body…one that you won't have to share with anyone else.  However, it is only temporary.  After you have defeated Monique, you will then return to the state you were before you entered the Shadow Realm…Yami Yugi to the Puzzle, and Yami Bakura to the Ring.  There is one stipulation, however."

"Isn't there always?"  Yami Bakura sulked.

"You both must work together to defeat Monique.  There is strength in unity...remember that!  If you both do not cooperate with one another, you will both be sent back to the Shadow Realm. Do you think you can do that?"

The two Yamis glared at each other for a moment.  Yami Bakura was the first to speak up.  "Fine.  If it means getting out of the Shadow Realm, I'll work with the likes of even him."

"Good," she replied, "Yami Yugi?"

"I'm not quite sure if it's a good idea to let _him _out of the Shadow Realm."

The tomb robber growled.  "You idiot!  Do you have any better ideas for getting out of here?"

Yami Yugi sighed.  "Monique is still out there…and there's no telling what kind of havoc she may reek. I have to go back…for Yugi's sake…as well as everyone else's.  If that means I have to work with him…then so be it."

"All right, then.  Remember, you both have to work together…or you'll both be sent back."  Hannah grabbed each Yami by the wrist.  "Hang on!"  The light around them grew brighter and brighter until they were completely bathed in a sea of pure glowing white light.  Suddenly the light faded and they found themselves standing in the alley behind the Game Shop.  They looked at each other, then down at themselves with awe.  Sure enough, they each had their own bodies.  

*******************************************************************

Cool! The Yamis have their own bodies now!

Please read and review!  I really appreciate it! Later!


	15. Reunited

**Disclaimer**:  I don't own Yugioh or TBAA.  How sad is that??

**Author's Notes**: Hi all! Sorry for the long wait. Been busy and stuff…you know how it goes. A special thank you goes to my beta-reader, Hyatt Insomnia!  

**Warnings:**  Mild violence and language, so far. 

To Steal, Kill, and Destroy 

Chapter Fifteen: Reunited 

Yami Bakura smiled widely and draped his arm around his fellow Egyptian's shoulders.  "Come, Pharaoh..let's go find some concubines!"

Yami Yugi pushed him off, disgusted.  "You heard what Hannah said!  We're being given these bodies so that we can defeat Monique, not to have an orgy!  Besides, this is the 21st century.  There are no such things as concubines anymore."

The tomb robber smirked back at him.  "Maybe so.  But the oldest profession in the world still exists…prostitutes."

"We are not doing anything of the sort!  We are here for a reason."

"Come, now…surely there's no harm in having a little fun?"

"We have no time for that.  Who knows what that demon is up to, even as we speak? We're behind the Game Shop right now.  So the first thing we should do is go to Yugi's.  From there we can figure out what our next move should be."

"Ah.  I know what the problem is.  You're afraid you won't be able to get a woman.  After all, you're no longer Pharaoh.  You won't have women throwing themselves at your feet anymore.  Not to worry, Pharaoh.  Having my own body has put me in a good mood, and I'm feeling rather generous…so I will teach what you need to know.  I will personally show you how to seduce a woman."

"What goes on in that sick, twisted mind of yours?  Have you even heard a word I've said?"

"Or perhaps you would prefer a man?  No problem, Pharaoh, I can show you that too."

"We are going to Yugi's!  And that's final!"

Yami Bakura frowned.  "You self-righteous little midget….you're not a Pharaoh anymore!  You can't tell me what to do!!"

"Fine, then," he replied, crossing his arms, "I'm going to Yugi's.  You are welcome to come with me, or do as you wish.  I leave the choice up to you."

"Then I choose to do as I wish."

"However, don't forget the angel said that we had to work together…or we'd both be sent back to the Shadow Realm.  I'm going to Yugi now…whether you come with or not is up to you."

"You fool!  Then you'll be sent back too!"

"Again, that choice is up to you."  And with that, he turned and began to walk towards the front of the house.

Yami Bakura growled at the retreating form.  "Pompous little porcupine," he muttered under his breath before running to catch up with the Pharoah.

He ran around to the front of the house, where Yami Yugi was standing hesitantly before the front door. The tomb robber stood beside him, waiting impatiently.  "Well?  What is it now??"

"I just realized…it's quite late."

"So?"

"So everyone will be asleep.  We'll disturb them, coming over at this time of night."

The white-haired thief rolled his eyes.  "Oh, for Ra's sake…"  He proceeded to bang his fists violently on the door.  "PHAROAH'S HIKARI!!! OPEN THIS DOOR AND LET US IN NOW!!"

"Be quiet!! Do you want to wake up the entire neighborhood?"

His companion ignored him and banged harder on the door.  "I SAID, OPEN UP!!"

Yami Yugi growled.  "You're insane! Stop it!"

*****************************************************************""Yugi?  Are you all right?"  Ryou was concerned for his friend.

"No," he replied, tears welling up in his eyes for what seemed to be the hundredth time that night, " My Yami's gone, too…and it's all my fault."  The small teen stared hard at the floor, tears beginning to slowly stream down his cheeks.

Ryou sighed and placed his hands on Yugi's shoulders.  "There, there, Yugi.  I'm sure it's not your fault."

"It is!  I was warned of impending danger…but I didn't listen!  Worse yet, I didn't trust Yami!  And now…now h-he's gone…forever!"   He squeezed his eyes shut and balled his hands into fists.  How could he have been so stupid?

"Yugi, I'm sure he's not gone forever.  Don't worry…we'll find a find a way to get him back."

"But h-how?"

"Well, I honestly don't know yet," the other boy admitted, "But there must be a way. Let's go over everything that's happened today again."

Yugi sighed and wiped away his tears.  "All right.  We'll go upstairs and try to figure something out."

"Everything will be all right, Yugi, " Ryou tried to soothe his friend.

The spiky haired teen managed a weak smile.  "Thanks, Bakura.  I sure could use a friend at a time like this."

Suddenly there was a loud banging on the door.   "PHAROAH'S HIKARI!!! OPEN THIS DOOR AND LET US IN NOW!!"

Ryou's dark brown eyes widened and he gave a small gasp.  "Th-that sounds like…"

The two hikaris heard another voice.  "Be quiet!! Do you want to wake up the entire neighborhood?"

Now Yugi's eyes widened.  "And that sounds like…"

Whoever was on the other side of the door continued to bang on it loudly.  "I SAID, OPEN UP!!"

"You're insane! Stop it!"

Yugi didn't need to hear any more.  He quickly ran to the door and opened it.  "YAMI!!" He immediately threw his arms around the spirit.  "Oh, Yami, I'm so sorry!! I should have trusted you!  Can you ever forgive me?"

Yami Yugi smiled and returned the hug.  "It's all right, aibou.  There's nothing to forgive."

"Yes, there is!  I didn't trust you and I should have!"

"You were deceived, aibou.  You were deceived by a demon."

Yami Bakura rolled his eyes and pushed past Yugi and his Yami.  "Yes, yes, can we skip the happy reunion part and get on with it?"  Yami Yugi growled at him.

The tomb robber approached Ryou, who was staring at him with wide eyes.  "Well, well.  Look who's here.  What's the matter, hikari, haven't you ever seen an ancient Egyptian spirit with his own body before?"

"Um….well…no, actually, I haven't," Ryou replied awkwardly.  The thief just smirked at him.

Yugi gasped and pulled away from his Yami.  "That's right…I was so excited to see you, I didn't even notice!"

The Pharaoh smiled.  "Yes, aibou.  It's true.  We have our own bodies now."

The small teen looked at his Yami in awe.  He was happy that his Yami had a body, but he was sad because that meant that he no longer needed him…and would probably be leaving.  

"However, it's only temporary," Yami Yugi continued, "We've been given these bodies for one purpose….to defeat Monique.  Once that's done, we shall return to being spirits."

Yugi's grandfather came sleepily down the stairs at that moment.  "What's all the commotion down here?"  He caught sight of Yugi and Ryou…and the two Yamis.  "Oh, my…"

"Where's the brown haired girl that always seems to be around?"  The tomb robber blurted out suddenly.

"You mean Tea?"  Yugi asked, confused.

"Yes, where is she?"

"She's probably sleeping right now.  Why do you ask?"

"Because if we're not going to get ourselves a woman, we should at least get a woman for him," he stated, pointing at his hikari, "Did you know he's still a virgin?"

"YAMI!!"  Ryou cried, horrified.  His face quickly began to turn red with embarrassment.

"Well, you are," Yami Bakura replied, matter-of-factly, "You need a night with a woman to loosen you up.  Now, where is that girl?  Let's go get her."

"All right, that is enough!!!"  Yami Yugi cried, "You aren't worthy to have a body of your own, let alone be released from the Shadow Realm!  I knew you should have been left back there!"

Yami Bakura's dark eyes flashed with anger.  "And I suppose you think you are?"

The other Yami narrowed his eyes at him.  "You're just lucky that it wasn't up to me whether or not you could get out of the Shadow Realm.  If it were up to me, I'd leave you there to rot forever."

"How dare you," the white haired Yami spat out though gritted teeth.  "How dare you raise yourself above everyone else.  You are nothing, Pharaoh.  Do you hear me?  Nothing!  Pharoah…HA!  You can't even remember being Pharaoh.  Yet you still have that pompous 'I-am-greater-than-thou' attitude.  Look at you.  You're nothing but an old worn out hag dependant on an even smaller and punier midget than you are to get through what you jokingly refer to as a life.  You're pathetic."   He walked up to Yami Yugi and spat directly in his face.  "And that is what I truly think of you…. Pharaoh."  The last word was said in a mocking way, with venom.

The tri colored haired Yami glared back at him, not even bothering to wipe the spittle from his face.  "Would you care to take this outside?"

The thief chuckled evilly.  "Indeed I would.  I've been waiting 5,000 years to kick your royal ass."

"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, then.  The reason why I asked you to take this outside is because I don't want your blood ruining Grandpa's house."

"The only one who will be having his blood shed, Pharaoh, is you."

"We shall see."

Ryou ran up to the two Yamis.  "This isn't the time to be fighting!  We've more important things to worry about!!"

"Bakura's right!" Yugi piped up, "Like Monique!  We should be concentrating on defeating her, not fighting each other!"

"Yes, we should!  Now, please stop fighting!"

The tomb robber snickered.  "Don't worry your pretty little head, hikari…this won't take long."

"But…," Ryou protested.  Suddenly Yami Bakura lunged at the former Pharaoh.  Yami Yugi quickly readied to defend himself.  Before the two could connect, a bright light shone in between them.  Yami Bakura jumped back and shielded his eyes from the light.  "Pharaoh!  What did you do?"

"It isn't me!"  Yami Yugi also had to shield his eyes from the light as well.

Suddenly, a heavy set black woman with salt and pepper hair was standing in between them.    And she did not look very pleased.  "If the two of you don't start behaving this instant, you are both going back to the Shadow Realm.  And this time, you WILL NOT be let out.  Do I make myself clear?"  She glared at Yami Bakura.  

"Crystal," the Yami glared back at her.  She turned to Yami Yugi.  "Well?"

He sighed.  "Yes, ma'am.  Quite clear."

"Good.  Now that we have that settled, maybe we can get back to the task at hand…instead of dealing with all this nonsense."

Yugi's eyes widened as he stared at the new arrival.  "Are….are you…an angel?"

She smiled.  "Yes, baby, I am.  My name is Tess."

*****************************************************************" 

Ok, so I finally got another angel in there!!  And finally someone from TBAA.  Whew! Sorry, it's just that I don't want to rush the story…at least I'm trying not to!

Please read and review! Arigato!


	16. Game Plans

**Disclaimer**:  I don't own Yugioh or TBAA.  Haven't you figured that out by now?

**Author's Notes**: Hi all! Sorry for the long wait. Been busy and stuff…you know how it goes.  I haven't given up on the story...LOL! It's kind of slow this chappie…but you have to explain stuff; you can't just jump around, ya know? A special thank you goes to my beta-reader, Hyatt Insomnia!  

**Warnings:**  Mild violence and language, so far. 

To Steal, Kill, and Destroy 

Chapter Sixteen: Game Plans 

Everyone sat on the couches in the Motou's living room.  Everyone except Yami Bakura, that is, who paced nervously about.  "So, when are going to kill the she-devil?  I want my Ring back!"

Tess glared at him.  "First of all, we are NOT going to kill her.  Second of all, you sit that butt of yours in  a chair NOW."

The Yami obediently did as he told, mumbling under his breath, "Bossy little b…"

"And you watch your language, mister!"

The while-haired former spirit glared back at her in return.

"That's better."

"Tess, thank you so much for coming and helping us out," Yugi offered.

"Yes, we really appreciate this!"  Ryou pitched in.  He shifted uncomfortably as he noticed his darker half was now directing his if-looks-could-kill glare at him.

Tess smiled at the two hikaris.  "You're welcome, babies.  The reason why I'm here is to tell you how to defeat Monique."

"Well, it's about time!!"  Yami Bakura grunted.

Tess threw him a dirty look then turned back to the two hikaris.  "All you have to do is to tell her to leave." 

Yugi blinked.  "Tell her to leave?  That's it?"

"That's it," the angel smiled.

"That has got to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" Yami Bakura cried, " I'd much rather douse her in gasoline and set her on fire."

Tess glared daggers at him.  "Well, you either do that or do what works.  It's your choice."

Yami Bakura said nothing.  He simply returned her glare.

"Personally, I would rather do what works," Yami Yugi chimed in.

His white-haired counterpart rolled his eyes.  "But of course you would, o holier-than-thou Pharaoh."

"Now don't think this is going to be as easy as it sounds," Tess warned, "Monique has been at this game for thousands of years.  She's going to try to distract you.  You'll have to stand strong, no matter what tricks she pulls."

"We can do it!  I know we can!" Yugi piped up.

"I know you can, baby," Tess smiled.

"Well, then, what are we waiting for?"  Yami Bakura growled, "Let's go get our Millennium items back and banish that she-devil!"

"You're forgetting something," the ex-Pharaoh pointed out, "It's late at night.  The only place we know where to find her right now is the Kaiba Corporation.  And she won't be there until morning."

"That's right," Solomon said, standing up, "So, I suggest that you all get a good night's sleep.  Everyone is welcome to stay here until morning."

"Stay with the egotistical Pharaoh and his hyper little light?  I can think of better ways to ruin an evening," snorted Yami Bakura. He grabbed Ryou roughly.  "Come on, hikari, we're leaving."

Yami Yugi stood up.  "Just where do you think you're going?"

The other Yami smirked back at him.  "How thoughtful of you to be so concerned, Pharaoh.  However, we are not homeless.  We do have a place of our own to stay."

"Are you going to be all right with him, Bakura?"  Yami Yugi glanced worriedly at Ryou.

"Um…Y-yes, I'm sure I'll be f-fine," he replied.  He actually didn't feel very sure that he would be fine at all, but he didn't want to anger his unpredictable Yami.

"All right, then.  But you had better be back here in the morning."

"Don't worry, Pharaoh," the white-haired Yami hissed, "I want to get that she-devil just as much as you do, if not more.  And I don't relish another trip to the Shadow Realm.  I'll be back."

"Good."

"Come on, yadonushi, (1) let's go."

"You be nice to that boy!  Remember, I'll be watching you!" Tess warned.

"Fine.  Can we go now?"  

"Go on," Tess waved to them, "And remember, be nice!"  She shook her head as they left.

Solomon cleared his throat.  "Well, I certainly hope that Ryou will be alright with him."

"Me, too, Grandpa," replied Yugi.

"Well, it's been quite a night.  We had all better get to bed so that we can go and defeat this…demon."

"Good idea," Tess agreed, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I had better get my angel butt on over to the Bakura's place so that I can watch out for Ryou."  And with that, she walked out the door and promptly disappeared.

"Well, I suppose we had all better get to bed.  We have a big day ahead of us," Solomon said as he yawned and stretched.

"Um…Grandpa?"

"Yes, Yugi?"

"Um…well…I suppose you're curious as to who this is," Yugi gestured towards Yami.

Solomon chucked. "I think I already have an idea as to who he is, Yugi,"

"You…do?"  Both Yami and Yugi wore shocked looks on their faces.  

"Enough chatter.  It's time for bed," Solomon winked.  He headed off to his bedroom.

Yugi and Yami looked at each other.  "Do you think he really knows who you are, Yami?"

"It's possible, Yugi.  After all, your Grandfather has been on many excavations in Egypt.  And from what I've seen of him, he seems to be a very wise man."

Yugi yawned and stretched.  "I just hope Bakura will be alright with that Yami of his."

"Well, if it's any comfort, he'd be a fool to kill him.  After all, he'll need his body once this whole episode is over."

The smaller teen immediately looked concerned.  "So, then, he can still hurt him…as long as he doesn't kill him!?"

Yami Yugi sighed. "Hopefully, Tess will keep an eye out for him, aibou.  It's getting late, and we'd better get some sleep.  We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

"You're right, Yami.  I just hope Bakura will be okay."

"Me, too, aibou," the ancient spirit replied as he pulled his hikari into a reassuring hug.

*****************************************************************

(1) "Yadonushi" is a little "nickname" that Yami Bakura has for Ryou.  It means "host" in the parasitic sense.  I've heard him say it in the Japanese versions of the DVD, and in some fan fics. I think it basically means that Ryou is his property or something like that.

Please read and review! Arigato!


	17. Nothing Ever Comes Easy

**Disclaimer**:  I don't own Yugioh or TBAA.  If I did, I'd be paid for writing this story.

**Author's Notes**: Hi all! Happy Holidays! Still moving forward with the story!

Aura Black Chan:  I have actually thought about writing the story where Yami Bakura and Hannah meet.  I've got it in my head; just gotta get it on paper.  

A special thank you goes to my beta-reader, Hyatt Insomnia!  

**Warnings:**  Mild violence and language, so far. 

To Steal, Kill, and Destroy 

Chapter Seventeen:  Nothing Ever Comes Easy 

"Stop dragging your feet, yadonoshi!"

"Sorry," Ryou mumbled. He was rather relieved that they were on their way to Yugi's house.  Once they arrived there, he wouldn't have to deal with his Yami all by himself anymore. As an added bonus, Yami Yugi seemed best suited for the hapless job of keeping his Yami in line.  Ryou knew he certainly wasn't. 

The white haired Yami smirked. "If you hurry, then perhaps we'll have time to stop by that girl's house and take her."

"Tea? Oh, Yami, I don't think it's a good idea to take her with us. After all, it could be dangerous and she could get hurt."

The Tomb robber growled.  "Not take her with, you dolt! I mean take her! Take her body! I shall have her first, of course, then you may do with her as you wish."

Ryou was horrified.  "Yami! We can't do that!"

The tomb robber scowled. "And why not?"

Ryou thought fast.  "Well, you know how Yami Yugi is. He may get impatient waiting for you, and decide to go on ahead without us. And you know what the angels said would happen if you don't work together."

"Hmm," the white haired thief frowned, "You have a point. It would be just like the Pharaoh to do something like that, too. All right, then, we'll just have to forget about the girl for now. Come on, Yadonoshi."  Ryou sighed in relief as his insane Yami dragged him along.

Finally, they reached the game shop.  Yami Bakura proceeded to pound on the door just as he had before.  "PHARAOH!!  OPEN UP!!! WE'RE HERE!!"

"Yami, please!"  Ryou simply couldn't understand why his Yami always seemed to be so angry.

The tomb robber ignored his hikari and continued to pound on the door.  "PHARAOH!! GET YOUR LAZY ASS OUT HERE!!"

Yami Yugi opened the door and glared at the tomb robber.  "I am not deaf, you know."

"Really," Yami Bakura chuckled, "You could have fooled me with how long you took to answer the door.  Or is it perhaps that you find that you cannot move as well now that you have a body of your own?  Is your age catching up to you, Pharaoh?"

Yami Yugi growled. "Is it too much to ask you to behave like a normal human being for 5 minutes!?"

"It appears that I've stuck a nerve."

Yugi, not wanting to risk another fight between the two Yamis, quickly walked to the door and spoke up. "Shouldn't we get going? After all, we want to get rid of Monique as soon as possible."

"Hn. For once your pathetic little hikari is right, Pharaoh.  We should get going so that we can get our Millennium items back."

"Very well.  The sooner I can get you out of my sight, the better."

"Likewise, I'm sure."

*****************************************************************

"May I help you?" The receptionist in the lobby of the Kaiba Corporation greeted them cheerfully.

"Yes," Yami Yugi replied, "We are here to see someone named Monique. I understand that she works here."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No, I'm afraid we don't, but…"

"I'm sorry, but you will need to make an appointment," the dark haired woman flashed them a phony cheerful smile.

"Now, listen you," Yami Bakura growled at the hapless employee, leaning in dangerously close, "Unless you wish to spend the rest of eternity in the Shadow Realm, you will contact that she-devil, and you will tell her that the Tomb Robber has come back to claim his ring.  Do you understand me?"

Yugi blushed with embarrassment.  "What he means is, that this is kind of an emergency.  We would really appreciate if you could at least try to get in touch with her."

"F-fine," replied the woman, glancing nervously at Yami Bakura.  She dialed a number on the telephone.  "Hello, Monique?  I'm sorry to disturb you, ma'am, but there are some people here who insist on seeing you.  They didn't give me their names, however one said to tell you that the Tomb Robber has come back to claim his ring.  Yes, ma'am, that's what he said.  All right."

She turned to face the group.  "Monique will see you now.  Just take those elevators down the hall and to your left.  She's on the 13th floor." (Author's note: Ok, ok, I know it's corny!!)

"Thank you," Yugi replied politely. And with that, the group headed for the demon's office.

*****************************************************************

They finally arrived at Monique's door. "All right, everyone, this is it," Yami Yugi warned, "Stay strong."

"Let's just get our items back already!" And with that, the white haired thief barged into the office.

"You! She-devil! I've come back for my ring!"  Yami Bakura yelled, pointing his finger at the demon.

Monique looked casually at him from behind her desk.  "Well, if it isn't the Tomb Robber.  How did you ever manage to get out of the Shadow Realm?"

"I told you I would come back for my Ring, didn't I?"

"He's not the only one who has returned," Yami Yugi chimed in as he entered the office, followed by his lighter half, Ryou, and Solomon.

"We know what you are, Monique, we're here to tell you to leave!" Yugi cried angrily.

"Yes, we are all here to stand together against you," the former Pharaoh agreed.

"Oh my, I'm so frightened," Monique replied sarcastically.

"You should be," Yami Bakura growled threateningly at her.

Suddenly Monique picked up a remote control and switched on the TV that was built into the right wall in her office.  She started switching through the channels.

"And just what do you think you're doing?"  The Tomb Robber was growing more impatient by the second.

"I'm bored, so I thought I'd see what was on TV," she replied, not bothering to give any of them a second glance.

"We mean business, Monique," Yami Yugi said sternly, "We want you out of Domino City and our lives."

"Oh, look!  A news report from Egypt!"

"I am not interested in…"

"Oh, my…it looks like it's from an archeological dig around Cairo…isn't that around where your father is, Ryou?"

"What?" The white-haired teen quickly turned his attention to the TV set.

"….whether anyone survived the cave-in or not.  They believe there are at least 4 men trapped down there…"

"Oh, no!" Ryou rushed over to get a better look.  He gave a small gasp, and his normally pale face lost even more color.  "That's where my father is!"

"Forget about that, yadonoshi, and get back over here!!"

"Hmm...well, it's obvious to me that the Tomb Robber doesn't care whether your father lives or dies.  But I'm sure you do...don't you, Ryou?"

"Of course I do! He's my father!"  Ryou's chocolate brown eyes never left the TV screen.

Monique approached the white haired boy and handed him what appeared to be a sheet of paper. "I know you care about your father, Ryou.  That's why I'm giving you this.  Sign it and I can assure you no harm will come to him."

 Yami Bakura quickly snatched it from him.  "Give me that, you fool!"  He scanned the document, growled, and tore it to shreds.  "He's not signing this. The only one he belongs to is me!"

"Don't worry about that, Ryou.  I've got plenty more of them. I know how much you love your father."

"Quiet, she-devil!"

"Ryou."  The calm voice of the Pharaoh was now heard.  "I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but the Tomb Robber is right.  Anything from that demon cannot be good."

Suddenly, a small groan could be heard.  Solomon was clutching his chest, and he looked very pale.  Yugi was instantly alarmed. "Grampa, are you all right!?"

"I'm fine, Yugi.  Don't worry about me, just get rid of her."  And with that, he promptly collapsed.

"Grampa!" Yugi cried, rushing over to the fallen man's side.

"Stay calm, Yugi!"  Yami was also worried about Grampa; however he knew panicking would not help them at a time like this.

"I'll call for help!"  Ryou rushed to the phone on Monique's desk.

"Oh, Yugi, I'm terribly sorry your Grandfather doesn't seem to feel well," the demon said with an air of sarcasm, "As much as I'd like to stay around, I have more important things to do.  However, I would feel terrible if I left without extending to you the same generous offer that I made your friend.  So, here you go, Yugi.  Sign it and I can assure you your grandfather will be just fine."  She handed Yugi the contract.  "Well, I must be off now.  Ta ta!"  And with that, the demon turned and strode out the door.

"You fools!! She's getting away!!"

Yami Yugi glared at the white haired thief.  "We have more important things to attend to right now, Tomb Robber."

"You are even more stupid than you look, Pharaoh!"  He bolted out the door after the accursed she-devil. He quickly caught up to her and grabbed her by the arm.  "Don't think I don't know what you're doing!!"

Monique's eyes flashed an angry shade of red.  Yami Bakura suddenly felt as though the hand that he was gripping Monique's arm with was on fire.  He released her with a cry of pain.

"Perhaps you do, Tomb Robber.  But can you stand up to me alone?"

Yami Bakura growled and glared at her in response.

"Hmm. I didn't think so.  Well, it's time for me to go now then.  Enjoy your time out here in the real world….while it lasts."

****************************************************

Aww…you kiddies knew it wasn't going to be that easy, didn't you?

Seto and Joey coming back into the story soon…

Please read and review!  Arigato!


	18. The Fires of Hell

**Disclaimer**:  I don't own Yugioh or TBAA.  If you haven't figured that out by now, I just can't help you.

**Author's Notes**: Hi all! Yep, I'm still alive!! LOL! Well, our favorite CEO is back in this chappie.  A special thank you goes to my beta-reader, Hyatt Insomnia!  

 / _italics _/  = Kaiba's thoughts.

**Warnings:**  Mild violence and language, so far. 

To Steal, Kill, and Destroy 

Chapter Eighteen:  The Fires of Hell 

 "What are you doing here?  Why aren't you at the office?"  Monique, who was already in a bad mood due to that morning's events, burst into Seto Kaiba's home office unannounced.

Kaiba gave her a glare that would intimidate the strongest of men. Unfortunately, Monique was not a man, nor a woman, for that matter.  "I don't answer to you.  Why don't you go back to the office, and do your nails or something?"

"I think it's time for some changes around here.  First of all, you DO answer to me!  From now on, you will NEVER work from home unless I am informed about it first!" 

Kaiba stood up, his fists tightly clenched in anger. "Get out."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Get. Out," Kaiba growled in a low voice. "Clear your desk out, and take that worthless piece of slime with you."

"Don't you threaten me, Seto Kaiba.  I'll throw you in jail so fast it will make your head spin!"

"First of all, this isn't a threat.  It's an order.  Second of all, I'd prefer being in jail than ever being bossed around by the likes of you."

"What about Mokuba?  What are you going to do about him?"

"That's my problem, not yours."

"I see."  She pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Kaiba.  "What about this?"

Kaiba didn't take the paper; he just looked at it and scoffed.  "What about it?"

"Read it."

"I don't have to.  Whatever happens to be written on that paper won't change my mind."

The demon simply smiled.  "Oh, I think it might. Especially when you see who has signed it."  She pointed to the signature at the bottom of the paper.  It read Mokuba Kaiba.  

The CEO immediately recognized his younger brother's handwriting.  He felt anger rising up in him again.  How dare she drag Mokuba into this!  "What is this supposed to be?"

"Why don't you read it for yourself?"

Kaiba finally snatched the document away from her, and began to read it. When he was done he looked up at Monique.  "Want to know what I think of this?"  He walked over to the shredder he kept in his home office, and sent the offending document through its blades.  

Monique laughed.  "That won't help, Kaiba.  The contract is still binding.  As a matter of fact, I have another one right here."

"Hn," Kaiba snorted, "You call that a contract?  I call it a fairy tale.  It's nothing more than a bunch of mumbo jumbo.  I can't believe Mokuba even signed something that ridiculous."

"Ah, but he did.  I now own his very soul, Kaiba.  So, if you love your brother at all, it would be in your best interest to do as I say."

"Spare me," the tall CEO rolled his eyes, "Your little stories might scare someone Mokuba's age, but I know better.  Did you honestly think I was going to believe your pathetic lies?"

"Hmm," Monique mused, crossing her arms, "I see you're going to need a bit more of convincing.  Isn't it lucky for you that I can satisfy those needs?"

Suddenly the room erupted in flames.  But what terrified Kaiba was the voice that reached his ears through the fire.

"Seto! Seto! Help me!"

_I thought Mokuba was in school! Did that witch bring him here?_  "Mokuba!"  He brought his arms up to try to shield himself from the flames. Monique was nowhere in sight.  "Mokuba!  Where are you!?"

"Over here!"  The CEO looked and saw his younger brother across the room, standing in the doorway.  "Help me, big brother! I can't get out!"  

"I'm coming, Mokuba!"  

There was a small spark and Kaiba watched as his precious little brother's arm caught on fire.  Mokuba screamed in terror and pain.  "Setoooo!! HELLLPPP!!"

"NO! I'm coming, Mokuba!"   He yanked off his trench coat, and pulled it over his head. With all the determination he could muster, he ran straight into the fire towards Mokuba.  He felt the heat burning him, but he didn't care.  All he cared about was getting to his little brother.  As soon as he reached him, Mokuba's little body was engulfed in flames.  The pain of hearing Mokuba's anguished scream was more than any fire could inflict on him. 

"Mokuba!"  Seto quickly wrapped his coat around his brother in an effort to quench the flames.  He dragged Mokuba out of the room and into the living room.  The living room was perfectly fine, and there was no fire.  He quickly unwrapped Mokuba from the coat, and saw nothing but a charred body in its place.  He stared in terror at the unrecognizable body for an instant, and then it disintegrated into ashes.  "Mokuba…" he whispered, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Monique appeared next to him, smiling.  "So…I have convinced you yet, Kaiba?"

"You," he glared up at her.  "I'LL KILL YOU, YOU WITCH!"  He lunged for her, only to be thrown back against the wall.

She rolled her eyes.  "Really, Kaiba, such dramatics!  But, don't worry; this was merely a demonstration for your benefit.  Your little brother is perfectly safe….for now."

The tall brunette quickly got to his feet.  "He had better be!" 

"I told you he was.  I'll give you a little time to think about all the things we've discussed today.  I'm sure you'll make the right decisions in the end."  The offending woman promptly disappeared.

Kaiba blinked.  He saw his trench coat lying in the middle of the room.  There were no ashes there.  He quickly grabbed it and headed out the door.  _I've got to find Mokuba._

*********************************************

**Ending Author's notes:  **

Ah, yes…we always hurt the ones we love….

Please read and review! Arigato!


	19. Confrontation

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Yugioh or TBAA. If you haven't figured that out by now, I just can't help you.

**Author's Notes**: Yes, I am still alive. LOL! I had lots of things going on in my life..still do…but I want to try and finish this story…it's hanging over my head! Thanks again to those who requested this fic go on. I didn't send this chappie to my beta reader first…I just figured it was so long, I should get it up and correct it later…LOL!

**Warnings:** Mild violence and language, so far.

** To Steal, Kill, and Destroy**

** Chapter Nineteen: Confrontation**

"Please, big brother…won't you tell me what's wrong?"

The elder Kaiba didn't answer his brother. He stared straight ahead at the road, saying nothing.

Mokuba gave a resigned sigh. "First, you pull me out of school, saying that it's an emergency, and now you won't even talk to me! The least you could do is tell me what this is all about."

"What did I just say to you?"

"But…"

"Mokuba," Seto interrupted him with a tone that let him know he wasn't about to back down, "What did I just say?"

"You said that you would tell me everything when we got home. But I…"

"Don't make me repeat it again."

Mokuba sighed yet again and leaned back against his seat. He knew he wasn't going to be getting any information from his brother until they arrived at the mansion.

After what seemed like an eternity, they finally arrived home. "Ok, Seto, we're home now! Can you please tell me what's going on?" Mokuba whined at his brother impatiently. The CEO simply walked over to the coffee table in the living room and picked up the documents that were lying there. He handed them to Mokuba. "Is this your signature?"

"Don't be mad at me, Seto," the raven-haired child looked up at him with sad, puppy dog eyes.

"Answer the question, Mokuba."

"I'm sorry, Seto! I—"

"Answer the question."

"But I—"

"Answer. The. Question."

Mokuba suddenly found his feet very interesting. "Yes."

"So, you did sign this."

"Yes, " he confessed, "But I—"

"How could you sign something like this? Haven't I taught you better than that?"

"I'm sorry, Seto!" The tears that had been threatening to spill finally rolled down his cheeks. "I'm sorry! I didn't know what else to do! She…she said all these horrible things! Oh, Seto…she…she said that she…she.. would separate us…forever!" He threw his arms around his big brother's waist and held on for dear life.

Kaiba sighed and knelt down so that he was face to face with his younger brother. "Mokuba," he began gently, "Do you honestly think I would let that happen?"

"Bu-but, Seto…how are you gonna stop her? She…she's…a demon!"

The CEO narrowed his ice blue eyes. "Mokuba, that's all just a bunch of mumbo jumbo! You can't believe that. She's just saying that so she can scare you!" He growled and clenched his fist. "When I get my hands on her…"

Mokuba instantly became alarmed. "No, please, Seto, don't! You don't understand! She really is a demon!"

"Mokuba, please. I already told you, that's just a bunch of bull! It's no different than Yugi and his pathetic 'Heart of the Cards' crap."

"No, Seto, it's for real! And I'm scared, Seto! I don't know what we're gonna do!"

"Don't worry, Mokuba. I'll take care of her…I promise. And you know I've never broken a promise to you, have I?"

"Well, no, but…"

"And I don't intend to start now."

"But, Seto…"

"No buts, Mokuba. Now, I want you to go upstairs and think about everything I've said. And don't worry about anything. I've always taken care of you and made sure you were safe. And I always will. Okay?"

"What are you gonna do, Seto?'

The normally stoic CEO looked at his little brother and felt his emotions threaten to surge to the surface. But he was Seto Kaiba, and he needed to keep his emotions in check. "I have some things I need to take care of." _Including getting that witch out of our lives. _"I want you to promise me something, Mokuba."

"What's that?"

"That no matter what happens, remember everything I've ever done was for us. Everything I've ever done, right or wrong, was to keep you safe and out of that rat-infested orphanage. Everything I've done was to try to give you a better life. I want you to remember that."

The black haired boy threw his arms around his brother's neck. "I know that, Seto."

The CEO hugged his brother back. "Just promise me that you'll remember that, no matter what happens."

"I promise, Seto."

"Go upstairs now. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Mokuba put on his best puppy dog eyes. "But where are you going, Seto?"

"I'm going to get everything taken care of, just as I always have." And with that, he stood up, and walked out of the mansion, with his trench coat flaring out behind him. (A/N: Is there someone on God's green earth that can explain to me how he does that?) He could feel his eyes becoming moist. But he would not cry. He was Seto Kaiba, after all, and he NEVER cried. Besides, what good would it do anyway? It wouldn't change anything, and it wouldn't make what he knew he had to do any less easier. But he first had to make sure that Mokuba was taken care of.

**Ending Author's notes: **

Please read and review! Arigato!


End file.
